Picking Up The Pieces
by may8elle
Summary: Laxus, pining silently after the woman of his dreams, is finally given the opportunity to make her his. Natsu and Lucy have a falling out, their friendship on the rocks and their trust in each other shattered. It's up to Laxus to help Lucy pick up the pieces and move on, all while trying to overcome obstacles of their own.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:** Despite my better judgement of waiting to post this, a lot of people who read **A Mating Season Love Spell** were hoping for LaxLu. I hate to be one to disappoint, so I decided to go ahead and post this. Again, against my better judgement of waiting. Just add this to the list of fics I have t finish eventually. 8')_

 _This is a **SLOW BURN** fic. Meaning there's no IMMEDIATE love shit happening. It will pick up along the way and will grow, but it's not going to be any sort of immediate action. I hope this works for you guys and hope you like this fic._

* * *

"Natsu, what the hell are you doing?!"

"I said get back!"

Lucy blanched at her pink haired best friend that jumped out in front of her. What was, at first, a good idea… No longer quite seemed that way. Sure, going on missions with the whole of Team Natsu is fun, but she only needed ten thousand more to make her rent. Natsu and Happy were still in the guild, where Erza and Gray were not. It seemed like a good idea to ask him on a small mission like this- this vulcan clearing mission- and just do something between them again. Just like old times.

But, again, at the first sign of danger- no matter how mild- he rushed in to save her. This is the very thing that aggravated her about the team as a whole. It wasn't until the year Fairy Tail disbanded that Lucy was able to get actual training in. Every time, every mission, it's 'save Lucy, oh no Lucy's in trouble, she can't handle lifting a finger to help herself'!

...Okay maybe that last part was an exaggeration, but it was truly how Lucy felt they looked at her. Anger boiled in her stomach at his insinuation. The back of his head was a sight she had etched into her memory, and she felt it high time to stand _beside_ him instead of _behind_ him.

With her whip still in hand, she stepped to the side. Now, she was outside of Natsu's 'protective area', as she's previously called it. "I'M NOT WEAK, NATSU, I CAN FIGHT THESE FUCKERS!"

A low, threatening growl left her pink haired partner. "I SAID GET BACK!"

She stopped, her eyes wide as she looked back at his face. Rage, hatred and something that seemed akin to despair were found in his eyes, giving them a haunted look. A fire dragon's roar left him, but she could see it very clearly now.

The shaking of his hands, the minor tremble in his biceps, the tenseness in his back. She could see the haunted gaze, the tears lining those onyx eyes he was trying to blink away. In fact, Lucy was almost certain that those flames on his fists were flickering. This wasn't about her being weak, this was about something more than that. Something she didn't know about until he punched away another vulcan.

"I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN!"

Then, it clicked.

The Grand Magic Games. The war with Alvarez. She was even positive that the war with Tartaros also played a part in this. It wasn't about her strength, it was about her life. He couldn't unsee future Lucy's death, he couldn't unfeel the burning rage from when Dimaria almost killed her… He couldn't unfeel the loss of his father, making him all the more fiercely protective of her. He didn't want to lose another person so important in his life.

Lucy took a step back, giving a slight nod.

"Alright."

This was definitely not a good thing. Where they were previously partners with all the world's trust in one another, over time that had changed. One step at a time, they had gotten off course. Lucy watched numbly as Natsu fired off punch after punch, threw vulcan after vulcan away. This job was easy, too easy. Lucy could have taken it alone… But she wanted to go with Natsu and Happy again.

Her eyes glanced to the sky, where Happy was holding the pendant these vulcan stole. Clear out the vulcans. Retrieve the ruby pendant. Fifty thousand jewel.

It sounded easy- hell, it _was_ easy…

The last vulcan fell within seconds. Natsu turned back to her, his eyes wild. The bags there seemed more pronounced now that she knew what to look for. He grabbed her arms, his tight, burning and bruising grip clenching onto her biceps. She winced, knowing there would either be a burn or a bruise there later.

"When I say get back, you get the hell back," he snapped angrily. He was too concerned about her safety to even the smallest thing. It haunted him in the worst ways. "When we're on the field, you stay behind me."

"That's not what partners do," Lucy whispered back, her brown eyes misting with tears. "I have your back, you have mine."

He shook his head, the burning growing hotter. His lip curled into a bit of a snarl, though she knew he was trying to get her to understand. He was probably getting frustrated with both himself and how she kept fighting what he was saying. "Not anymore. You can't fight."

Now that struck a chord.

A bad one.

"What the hell do you mean," she started in a soft yet demanding tone, "I can't fight?"

He finally let go of her, his arms going up in exaggeration. "Do you really need me to point out every time you've almost died?! Do I need to spell out every instance of you getting kidnapped?!"

Happy, sensing the tension building between the two, descended. "Um, guys-"

"You know _damn well_ that's out of my control! They're not after _me,_ they're after _my magic_!" She let her own snarl out, completely ignored Happy, and stepped closer to Natsu. "None of those were my goddamn fault! I survived, I learned and I fucking grew!"

"Apparently not!" Natsu shouted back, getting in her face the same way she was getting in his. "You can't take a goddamn order even if it means you staying safe!"

"NATSU, THEY'RE JUST FUCKING VULCAN!" Lucy yelled.

"THEY STILL COULD HAVE HURT YOU!" He grabbed her jaw with both hands, forcing her to look up and lock eyes with him. His eyes were steeled, though the embers of anger were still burning within. His voice lowered to a dangerous tone. "When we fight, you listen to me. You don't question it. You don't defy it. You. Listen."

Her eyes narrowed back and she lowered her voice in kind. "I've never been one to roll over for any damn person."

"That's why you keep getting in these fucking situations, Lucy," he growled out, his grip on her jaw getting tighter and hotter. One of her brown eyes closed in pain, but she made a point to keep the other open to glare him down. "Be a good little girl and listen and you'll be safer."

Happy nudged Natsu's arm. "Natsu, let her go, there's a-"

But neither mage was paying attention to him. She bared her teeth in a snarl at her partner. "Over my dead body."

"Natsu, Lucy, we need to move-"

"Goddamnit, Luce!" Natsu let go of her, took a step back and ran a hand through his hair. "All they have to do is get your fucking keys and you're screwed!"

"NATSU! LUCY!"

"WHAT?!" Both mages snapped, turning their heads to look at Happy.

They saw the massive arm of the fire bear high in the air, the very danger Happy was trying to warn them about. But they noticed it too late. The bear swiped at them both. Natsu instinctively jumped back, but was still caught by the tips of it's claws and jostled backwards, where when Lucy tried to jump back, she caught the full force. The burning paw caught her waist, her center of gravity, and it's powerful swipe had her airborne.

"LUCY!"

Happy couldn't even match the speed in which she was flung at. She felt her blood pouring from the gashes that accompanied the fire bear's paw print scorched into her side. Burns and bruises from her jaw and her biceps had her entire body throbbing at this point. Lucy wasn't aware of how high or fast she was thrown, but she couldn't even keep her eyes opened.

This had no good ending.

Summoning a spirit in the air was a bad idea as none of them would be able to help. Gemini was her best bet, taking Happy's form, but if Happy couldn't keep up and hadn't caught her yet then it was pointless. She sent a small prayer to any gods that were listening, sent a small plea to her keys in hopes that they could come the moment she was getting too close to the ground, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

It hurt to breathe in. Was she so high up that there was a lack of oxygen or did she have a broken rib from the bear?

She surmised that they must have woken it with their loud arguing, since they typically stayed away from humans. Natsu was going to blame her for this again. He didn't trust her and the bruises on her jaw and arms confirmed that the trust she held in him had been broken as well. He was trying to keep her safe, but hurt her in the process.

The direction of the winds passing her changed. She was plummeting now.

One final plea to her keys.

Lucy twisted the best she could to prevent severe damage.

The impact sounded, a loud smack accompanied by a loud crack. Pain rocketed through her left arm and her shoulder. Her head hit, and blackness immediately consumed her.

* * *

Freed came out of his tent, looking over the group. Evergreen was sitting on a stone just outside of her own tent, filing her nails to keep herself busy. Bickslow had just thrown another log onto the bonfire the tents were surrounding, staring into the dancing flames blankly. Laxus sat on the ground next to the seith mage, sound pods around his neck and arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were closed, leading the green haired man to believe him deep in thought.

The group was a two days walk away from the guild, on their way to the requested mission. Six wyvern had not only been spotted, but had been terrorizing a town bordering the mountain range. From what they knew, it looked like a mother and five younglings, but they weren't entirely sure. Still, the Thunder God Tribe accepted the request.

They were close to their first stop in Margaret Town for immediate supplies to last them the hike. There was small talk of stopping by Lamia Scale, though they weren't sure if they'd have the time to or not. Freed took his seat on a stone similar to the one Evergreen was sitting on. The sun hadn't fully set yet, casting an orange glow through the trees.

Laxus' head snapped up, the sudden movement alerting everyone.

"What's up, boss man?" Bickslow asked curiously.

Storm blue eyes narrowed to the area behind Evergreen. "Something's coming."

A chill raced up Freed and Evergreen's spines when Bickslow activated his magic to scan for souls. It wasn't a lack of trust, it was the dark feeling of his magic that caused the reaction. Laxus didn't seem to care, though. Well, not until Bickslow stood abruptly, ripping his visor off of his head. "That ain't just anything, that's a spirit."

Ever tilted her head. "..As in a ghost?"

"No," he shook his head. "Cheerleader's magic. Celestial spirit."

Laxus was on his feet in a flash, his back ramrod straight. "So it's either Blondie or it's the quiet one from Sabertooth."

"It's Cheerleader, alright. They're underground right now, but they're closing in fast."

Freed furrowed his brows. "If it is Miss Lucy, why would she be underground?"

"We can also ask why she'd be coming towards _us_ , too," the fairy mage commented as she put her nail file away. "Something must be wrong."

"Yeah, I'm betting on it. I don't see Cheerleader's soul, but I see her spirit. Somethin' ain't right."

The ground rumbled just a bit before it burst, flinging rock and dirt everywhere when the Maid Spirit came up. "Fairy Tail?"

The group nodded.

Virgo, closest to Laxus, passed Lucy's keyring to him. "Please hold these."

Evergreen stood abruptly, her deep brown eyes wide in panic. "Where is Lucy?"

The maid bowed once and left in a puff of shimmer.

Everyone looked to the keys in Laxus' hand. Bickslow felt his heart clench tight, the feeling of dread washing over them unlike any they had felt before. This couldn't mean what they anticipated it did. It just couldn't. Lucy couldn't be dead.

Laxus felt his world darken. She was gone.

Before the assumption could fully sink in, before despair set and before anyone could say anything else, another flash of shimmer happened near Laxus. This was a familiar face, a familiar pair of blue sunglasses. And, in his arms, was a broken and bloody Lucy.

"The fuck happened to her?!" Laxus shouted. He reigned himself in enough to immediately start barking orders. "Ever, grab the health kit. Bicks, the extra tent. Freed, run and get more water." One at a time, the three nodded and took off to do their assigned task as quickly as possible. At least it wasn't as bad as they had assumed.

Loke, holding Lucy's unconscious form in his arms, nodded to Laxus. "Thank you."

"Anything for family," he grunted, offering to take the blonde off of his hands. Reluctantly and with great hesitation, Loke finally passed her to his arms. "We're stopping by Margaret Town tomorrow. Wendy's there with Chelia preparing for their town's festival."

The lion crumpled where he stood, sitting down in a heap. "She'll live then. Thank the stars," he whispered out, his distraught emotion finally coming out.

Laxus had to give it to him- he could be very calm and collected in the face of danger, as he just was, if he wanted. It was better than he could ever do. Looking down at the beautiful blonde in his arms, he took stock of the things he could see. Blood still coming from her left side, her left arm bent in places it shouldn't bend at, burns at her arms and her jaw… Burns the shape of hands.

He let out a low growl, having an assumption of his own.

Looking over at the lion who seemed to be trying to calm down from his earlier (well concealed) panic, Laxus nodded to his tent. "There's a few water bottles in there. Unopened. Grab you one and relax, tell me what happened."

Loke watched the look in Laxus' eye warily, but conceded. It was fierce, but in the protective sense. Angry in the revenge sense. And there was something else Loke very easily identified, though he wasn't sure if Laxus knew yet. Still, he nodded.

"It's because she was ten thousand short on rent. She needed another job," he started, pausing only to go into Laxus' tent and come back with two waters. One for himself and the other for the lightning mage. "Gray and Erza were gone from the guild, so she was looking for something small and easy. Got nostalgic when she saw a vulcan clearout, since that was the first time she and Natsu worked together. Shit went downhill from there."

Bickslow could easily hear the conversation since he was putting the tent up right behind Loke. Ever, too, since she was only stepping into her tent for their first aid kit. Freed, however, took their emergency jug and left into the woods to refill it at the river nearby.

"I can spy on Lucy and see what's happening, feel her emotions, but I can't hear what's being said. So the moment she felt defiant, I peeked. I usually respect her privacy, but she felt… Wronged."

Laxus nodded but gave him a look. "Ever, I'll hold her while you tend to her side."

The brunette nodded, opened the box to get the rubbing alcohol and gauze out, and took a seat in front of the lightning slayer.

After another nod to Loke, he continued. "I can only assume they fought. She felt understanding, he grabbed her arms, she felt saddened, he said something and that sadness turned to anger. He stepped way, threw his arms up, she got in his face. He got in hers back, grabbed her jaw, they went at it more. He backed away, Happy yelled to get their attention. Before they could move, a fire bear had swung at her."

"Fire bear?" Laxus asked. "They don't attack humans."

Loke nodded. "They woke it with their fighting."

The slayer nodded in understanding. "So that's where the gashes came from, right?"

Again, the spirit nodded. "I don't know what was said, but Lucy was hurt by it. Then the bear launched her with such.. Such force that Happy couldn't catch her mid air. She was flying too fast. We couldn't… We couldn't do anything." A shaky inhale was heard from the spirit. "I thought she was going to die. Out of instinct, I opened my gate but before I went through, I realized I couldn't do anything…"

Laxus' brow furrowed and he looked down at Ever. The woman had lifted the blonde's top enough to tend to the gashes at her side. Being a fire bear, the claws had gashed her wide open but cauterized part of the wounds. Mentally, the slayer wondered if Wendy would be able to prevent a scar since it was already cauterized partially.

He looked back to the spirit though. "If she landed, she would have died. There's more."

Loke nodded. I was about to close my gate, resign myself to this fate, but Aries threw me to the side and jumped out of my gate faster than I could blink." The spirit chuckled sadly at this. "She always shocks me."

"What do you mean?"

Ever cut in this time. "Aries is the pink haired, very shy and timid one. The one that's always apologizing." Her hands were, as gently as possible, patting at the wounds to clean them. "She doesn't typically do anything unless explicitly told to do so by Lucy. We've had enough girls' nights at the guild and at Fairy Hills for me to know Aries well enough."

Laxus and Loke both blinked at the woman's knowledge on the ram spirit, but it only caused a wide (but still sad) smile on Loke's face and the ghost of a grin on Laxus'.

"Yeah, exactly.. She can't open her own gate, only three of us can. Virgo- the maid you just saw, Capricorn- though he doesn't because he claims its disrespectful, and myself. So with my gate opened, Aries took her chance and vaulted through it. Virgo was right behind her. Usually there's laws against that… But…"

Freed was now coming up on the clearing, noticing the stiff silence almost immediately. Though curious as to what's been spoken before he arrived, he decided to just jump in now and get details from Ever later. He sat the jug near Ever, but sat back on his own stone. Privacy was key, as is personal space. Especially to Laxus.

"Lucy is the only mage in history to have the Celestial King's favor."

That one line alone shocked everyone there. On one hand, they could easily believe it because of how kind, open and bright she is. On the other, it was startling to know that she was the only mage.

Loke snorted a short laugh. "Yeah. She forced the king to show up when I almost died, won his favor and forced him to rewrite some ancient laws. She's saved countless spirits, helped the souls of many people, he threw her a party when you all escaped the seven year bubble… She summoned him during tartaros. She's one of five mages before her to have seen his face, and the only one to have won his favor like she did. So he disregarded the law and kept my gate open with his power."

Laxus looked down at the unconscious blonde's face, noting that she looked like a scarred, sleeping angel. He shoved the thought away quickly, though, and looked back to the spirit. "So Aries… She's the one with the wool, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah. She was able to build up enough wool on the ground to keep Lucy from dying, but with how hard she impacted, it still destroyed her arm and knocked her out. Virgo set out to find the nearest ally who _wasn't_ Natsu, and found you guys."

"How far was she thrown?" Bickslow asked as he joined the fray around the bonfire.

Leo looked up in thought and shrugged. "Virgo said she landed about a half day's walk from here, and four times that from where Lucy and Natsu had originally been."

Ever gave a snort of genuine disgust. "Laying his hands on her like that… I oughta kick his ass myself, the disgusting swine."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "He's still family. I'd kick his ass, too, but we don't have the full story yet."

Seeing the confusion on Freed's face, Bickslow held up one finger, indicating that he'd fill the rune mage in on the situation in a moment. His red eyes shot over to Laxus. "True there, boss… But think about that. What the hell would give reason to burn her like that? Ever's got a point… We'll see what she wants and what she says before jumping to kick his ass."

A nod from the thunder god was the immediate response. "Freed? Call Wendy before it gets too late. Let her know we'll be stopping by tomorrow. The sooner we turn in, the sooner we can get her healed."

Evergreen sighed but nodded. "Will you hold her so I can gauze her up in the meantime?"


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's Note:_** _Man, I knew there were a LOT of LaLu fans but I didn't anticipate this being so well received. I'm super grateful you all like it! Keep leaving your comments because they drive me to write more and inspire me to continue writing in general. I'm pretty sure all fanfic authors feel this way, too. One day, in the future, I'll ask if you want me to bump up the rating or not. Right now, though, it's a safe story with some dark implications and dark topics, but otherwise safe._

 _Thank you guys for keeping me invested in my own story, lmao. Anyway, I've rambled about enough. Here we go!_

* * *

Pain.

Pain rocked through physically, but it was swiftly drowned out by the emotional pain Lucy felt deep in her heart. She'd barely woken up, woken solely by the pain echoing through her body, when it came crashing back down on her. Natsu's actions were out of care, worry for her safety.. But they'd gone much too far. Lucy couldn't fathom why or how it had come to this point. With her eyes still closed, one hand moved over her heart. She remembered everything up until being hit by the fire bear. She remembered being flung, flying through the air… She barely remembered the fall. But nothing after that.

Her eyes opened slowly, expecting to see blackness with death or even the starry sky as though she'd been left out in the field. What she didn't expect was to see the top of a tent, glowing a very faint orange hue. She blinked and only felt more and more confused about her situation. She was barely able to turn her head through the pain rocketing through her spine to see the mat she was laid on. The pillow under her head wasn't a pillow at all, but a very familiar fur lined black coat, laying on a mound of pink plush. She knew that plush to be Aries', but was that… Was that _Laxus'_ coat..?

That didn't make sense at all. She _had_ to be delirious. Moving her right arm to lean on in order to sit up was an entire _ordeal_. The amount of pain she was in with every minor movement caused tears to line her eyes and her teeth to grit. It hurt _everywhere_. Everything hurt, every movement made and every breath taken. She stopped, sitting upright now. Deep breaths- in and out, in… and out. Relax, compartmentalize the pain, discard it. Repeat. Eventually, after two tears escaped, Lucy was able to ignore and block out a large portion of the current pain she felt.

It was then that she looked down at her person. Her clothes had been changed- a very loose black shirt that looked about five sizes too big adorned her torso down to her legs, and she could feel the shorts beneath the shirt covering her ass. Her left arm was bandaged so much and so tightly that she couldn't even rotate her shoulder. Her ribs were confined as well, and upon lifting the shirt to the best of her ability with her right hand, she saw gauze and bandages lining her whole damned torso down to her waistline… Which was where the fire bear caught her.

Looking over to her right arm, she noticed a white film over the pinkish handprint there. Lifting her hand, she _felt_ the film lingering on her jawline as well. Someone had doctored her wounds. Looking back at the makeshift pillow, she caught glimpse of that coat again. Laxus being the one to doctor her didn't make sense. He and his team had left out on their mission two days before she and Natsu did.

Natsu…

A wave of emotional pain hit her again. He _was_ her best friend… Her partner…

She had to- mentally- shake off the thought.

Lucy struggled to stand, but she eventually made it to her feet. And, upon opening the flap to her tent, she was mildly startled to see Bickslow looking back at her from his seat near the fire. Only mildly startled, as it would make perfect sense that he'd be there if that _was_ Laxus' coat.

"Bicks?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

He gave her a sad smile and stood. "Need some help, Cosplayer?"

She offered a weak smile in return. "Please..?"

Thankfully, it didn't take long for the sieth to stand, walk over, and offer her his arm to grab onto. He seemed to understand her want for independence more than most, as she knew in this situation that most others would just carry her. She wasn't a damsel, and instead of trying to make her feel like one, he was simply offering assistance. That little, tiny, subconscious action meant a lot to the blonde lass. Her arm wrapped around his and he walked slow, guiding her over to a large stone to sit on.

And he allowed her to hold onto his arm as she lowered herself to sit. Just enough. He then moved a little closer to the bonfire, but didn't sit too far away from the blonde woman. The two sat in companionable silence, watching the flames of the fire flicker and crackle. Ashes rose up, little red embers flicking and rising up with the main flame. But the flame, with the light breeze, leaned towards her just a tad. She was a safe distance away from it, but the warmth that suddenly covered her front was a little alarming.

Considering what she just went through, anyway.

She wasn't looking at the bonfire anymore. The way it leaned towards her just ever so slightly, the way it flickered with the wind, reminded her of the fire dragon punches that Natsu was fighting with earlier. It _was_ only earlier that day, right? God, she hoped so. Sleeping through multiple days wasn't fun. Hell, she had enough of that when they awoke to find that seven years had passed back on Tenroujima.

The fire flickered again.

Mentally, she could only see the haunted look in his eyes. The tension in his shoulders. The tears lining his eyes that he refused to let fall. She could see every single step they took that slowly dissolved their trust, and honestly, as she thought more about it, it didn't start at the _Games_. It was before that- well before that. Kain on Tenrou- _no_ -

"Gajeel," Lucy breathed out, still lost in her own thoughts.

Bickslow turned to her, his brows furrowed. For once, his visor was off- mostly because he didn't anticipate anyone else coming out tonight. Freed and Evergreen were asleep, Laxus was probably listening to music in his own tent, and Lucy wasn't supposed to be up. Well, he assumed that she wasn't supposed to be, anyway.

Still yet, she had his full attention now. "What's that?"

Lucy blinked, obviously startled out of her daze. Looking over to the sieth, seeing his concern and curiosity, she felt her face fall to a saddened state. "I was… Trying to think of what started this… Decline."

Bickslow's eyes narrowed in confusion, but then his jaw set hard. "...Is that about Natsu..?"

It took a moment for her to respond with a nod. She felt ashamed, upset, and angry with herself for not having noticed it sooner. A little shuffling from another tent came seconds before Laxus stepped out of it. Yet she couldn't bring herself to look at him. Her eyes stayed on her one, non-bandaged hand in her lap. Why did it feel like being exposed? To know that others see your wounds from someone you trusted with your life?

A water bottle was suddenly put in her field of vision.

Startled, Lucy slowly looked at the hand offering it, then to the face of the master's grandson. Her brown eyes filled with tears upon meeting his storm blue ones. Here was a man, so strikingly handsome that it was unfair- someone so powerful he was one of the few to legitimately take out opposing enemies they'd faced in both Tartaros and Alvarez both. And here he was, offering her a water bottle, having seen that she took damage from her partner. He's never seen her (as far as she was aware) as strong in the first place…

"It's not your fault, you know," he said softly.

That was all it took.

Tears started falling from her eyes and a choked sob left her. With only her right hand to wipe at the cascading tears, it made her look more pathetic. Or so she thought. It wasn't until she felt something nuzzle her leg that she even managed to open her eyes. There, rubbing soothingly against her leg, was one of Bickslow's totems. The smallest one. A wet, sad laugh bubbled up and she smiled to the best of her ability.

"Thank you," she hiccupped. "..This one i-is Puppu, right?"

The little totem flew up and spun around before nuzzling her right shoulder.

Another wet laugh left her. "I'll take that as a yes."

During her crying fit, she didn't notice Laxus enter her tent. In fact, she only realized he went in there when he put his coat around her shoulders seconds later. She looked up at him again, but this time he wasn't looking at her. When she looked back down, she noticed the water bottle he'd offered her was now next to the stone she sat on.

"Are you in any pain?" the slayer asked as he moved to sit on the other side of Bickslow.

She nodded. "A bit, yeah. I'm blocking a lot of it out, though." Her eyes left the blond man and went to the fire between the three mages. Her teeth started worrying the flesh of her bottom lip. "...Why is my arm wrapped like a mummy?"

Bickslow snorted. "There were three unnatural bends there, Cosplayer. It's broke."

She blinked, wide eyed, and looked down at the arm. "...Well then."

It was silent once more, but not for long. It only took a minute or so for Bickslow to ask his burning question. "...So you ain't gotta answer, but what does Metal Face have to do with the Natsu problem..?"

Lucy cringed from the curious looks from both men. Thinking back, she realized that _no_ , they weren't there and _no_ , Natsu hadn't told a damned person about what really happened there. She bit her lip again and looked up at the stars, wondering exactly _how_ to go about the explanation.

"...So, I guess it's easiest to… Word vomit out my thoughts. I don't know where to begin," she admitted.

The two nodded to her, letting her know that they were listening.

The blonde lass picked up the bottle, bit the lid with her teeth to open it properly, and took a swig of it. She needed to _think_ , but thoughts just… Weren't lingering long enough for her to process them right. They were rushing into her head and rushing out faster than she could linger on them and actually map out where she wanted to go with it.

Lucy gulped down the ball of emotions caught in her throat. "So, uh. I needed only ten grand for rent. I found a mission that was super easy, easy enough for me to do alone, but… It'd been ages since it was just Natsu, Happy and I. We usually go with the whole of Team Destruction," she said and paused when Laxus snorted, "but this was a Vulcan clearing mission. The first time Natsu and I really worked or explored or done anything together was to bring Macao back from Mount Hakobe, where he was taken over by a Vulcan. So.. It brought back memories. I thought… I really thought it was a good idea…"

Her eyes darkened. She focused on the fire again.

Deep onyx eyes lined with tears and despair.

The burning anger in those eyes when he held her by her jaw.

"It wasn't." Lucy paused again, this time to take another drink to calm her own nerves. "Over the course of us being partners… Each step we took subconsciously drove him further and further away from trusting me. It… It really didn't help that he essentially saved me from becoming a slave when I first joined the guild."

She snorted, rolled her eyes, and shook her head. While she was caught up in her own mental scolding, the two men looked to one another in shock.

"Still, our first few endeavors worked decently enough. Then my dad wanted me to come back. Told me I needed to come back, that he had a husband all picked out and ready for me. Selling me off to the highest _fucking_ bidder," she growled out, but her eyes grew soft soon after. "He sent Phantom after Fairy Tail. We tried reaching Laxus-"

"But I was being a colossal fuck," he said, sadness and regret heavy in his tone.

She looked up at him and smiled sadly. "I don't blame you. You and I hadn't really met then, and you had lost yourself along the way. Besides," she said as she waved him off, "I forgave you a long time ago."

He shook his head, not understanding _how_ she did, but his eyes still showed gratitude.

She cleared her throat. "So, uh, anyway… Juvia captured me. Jose imprisoned me. I jumped out of the, like… Maybe third or fourth story of their prison cells, just wanting to get free, and Natsu caught me. Eventually, Gajeel had me captured again… But he wasn't like the rest… He… He beat the shit out of me," she finally said. "My ribs still have notches on them, my spine too. He did it because he was _bored_. Because he wanted to hear me _scream_."

Laxus' jaw was nearly on the damned forest floor, and Bickslow was leaning forward so far she was afraid his little purple feather might catch fire.

"What?!" the seith asked loudly. Laxus shushed him, but he didn't seem to care- though he _did_ start talking more quietly. "Master wouldn't have let Gajeel in the guild if he did that, though!"

"Master didn't know," Lucy replied.

The two sat, stone still and shocked.

"Natsu knew, and promised me that he wouldn't tell anyone either. I… I always said it was the rubble or when I actually fought, but it wasn't. Natsu and Gajeel fought like crazy and I can't remember a clear winner coming of it… But I do know that when Natsu and I talked about it later, he said he could _feel_ that Gaj was just lost… He told me I didn't have to forgive him, but said that trying might actually save him…"

Lucy paused and her eyes lidded at that point. Her eyes looked _dead_. Hollow and unfeeling, glazed and lifeless.

This wasn't Lucy.

"Gajeel was the first. There was a… We'll call them a series of unfortunate events that happened after that. I was captured, caught… Then was Kain on Tenrou. I was nearly sacrificed to a giant clock. Minerva during the Games… My future self died, right in front of our eyes, then. Did you know that?"

The two shook their heads.

She scoffed a laugh, but it didn't show in her eyes. "It seemed like every time I was starting to get over nightmares of one abuser, another would pop up. I died, the dragons came out… The celestial realm nearly tore apart and I was hurt by my own spirits… We all know about Tartaros…"

"We do," Bickslow nodded, "but there's something you haven't answered anyone."

Her jaw clenched. "I don't like talking about Tartaros."

Laxus raised a brow.

Lucy's dead eyes hardened. Her back straightened. "I broke Aquarius' key myself there. I don't like talking about it."

Bickslow's eyes went wide, his babies dropped to the ground in his shock, and his heart lurched at the thought. "..Oh no…"

The woman shook her head. "I hate talking about it. I hate it. But it wasn't.. It wasn't until then that I was even allowed to start fighting on my own. To start training properly. Being with the Team, they always rush in to protect me because I'm a _holder_ mage. Because one wrong move and I'm left without my magic because the opponent stole them. Like Minerva did." She paused and relaxed a little. "But it's what I needed. I was able to grow and get stronger on my own, and I was able to make it so I didn't _need_ to rely on anyone. It was worth it."

She paused again. "But during Tartaros, Natsu also lost Igneel. First was Future Lucy, then was his father… By the time the Alvarez war came around, he'd lost too many people to stay sane if he lost another. I was almost killed by Dimaria. She almost gouged out my eyes. And it triggered the demon seed in Natsu to take over."

The two looked to one another again before looking back to Lucy.

She sighed. "I didn't tell you all of this for pity or sympathy. You wanted to know about Natsu. He… He witnessed nearly every single one of my capturings, my near-deaths, my beatings… So when we went on this mission, he freaked the fuck out about me fighting little _Vulcans_."

Her eyes, still trained on the fire, seemed to reflect it.

The smallest fire, the smallest spark of anger, was hidden there in brown depths.

" _When we fight, you listen to me. You don't question it, you don't defy it, you listen_ ," she recanted. She rolled her eyes. " _Be a good little girl and listen and you'll be safer_ , my left fucking testicle."

The look on Laxus' face was priceless. Eyes narrowed in a clear ' _what the actual fuck_ ' look, mouth opened ever so slightly, brows furrowed and head tilted. Bickslow, on the other hand, seemed absolutely pissed off.

But Lucy didn't notice.

"I get it, he's trying to protect me. I get it, I should have noticed it sooner and not even asked him to join me-"

"Stop," Bickslow demanded harshly. His eyes narrowed at her when she looked up at him, startled. "You're making excuses for him, Lucy."

He _never_ called her by her first name.

"He _burned you_ , _bruised you_ , and you're saying you should have noticed _his_ feelings? No, you're a smart ass woman, but you're not fucking psychic. He should have _told you_." The sieth was fuming at this point, his eyes very faintly glowing. "You're going to make excuses for him, you're going to forgive him like you always do, but you know? You shouldn't. You need to take the time to _see_ him change. _See_ him work for that fucking forgiveness."

Her eyes hardened at his words. "Everyone deserves a second chance, Bickslow…"

"I'm not saying he doesn't!" he whisper-shouted, trying hard to keep his voice down. "I'm saying he needs to work for it! It's obvious you weren't _ready_ to forgive Gajeel and he coerced you to before you were ready… And that made a lasting point with everything else you faced!"

Lucy closed her eyes tightly, trying to keep composure. "Bickslow… I wouldn't have forgiven _you_ that soon-"

"He's right, Lucy."

Her eyes snapped open, looking over to the blond mage.

"You have hand marks on your arms and your _jaw_. From what Loke told us when he and Virgo brought you here, Natsu was probably going to hurt you more if you kept fighting."

She got defensive again. "But he wouldn't have-"

"Lucy," Laxus interrupted sternly. She snapped her mouth shut. "I've seen, with my own eyes, the effects of abusive relationships. You two may not have been dating, but this? This fight right here? That's more than a little scuffle."

Laxus' words washed over her like ice water, chilling her to the bone.

She still seemed leery of it, though. "...It was never like this before, though…"

To which the slayer nodded. "But how long has it been since it was _just_ you and Natsu doing _anything_..?"

She blinked then looked down at her hands. "...Probably since we started getting everyone back together for Fairy Tail's comeback…"

He nodded. "So he couldn't have reacted the way he wanted to before. Erza and Gray would have killed him if he did. Now that he had the opportunity, he was probably going to let out a lot of that pent up energy."

Lucy felt a shiver run down her spine. "...But he was my _partner_ … We… We were supposed to… To _trust_ each other…"

Laxus' eyes seemed sympathetic at that point and she couldn't bring herself to keep looking at them. Natsu was better than that. Natsu _couldn't_ bring himself to hurt someone that way. He was like her brother. He isn't like that!

Her jaw throbbed in pain.

 _But he did do it._

A pathetic sounding whimper, barely loud enough for Laxus to hear, came from her throat. This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to be this way. She was going to leave her father's estate, join Fairy Tail, become a strong wizard, make friends, make her own decisions… but part of being a Fairy Tail wizard meant that nothing has ever gone right.

But they never went this wrong.

"H-He couldn't…"

"But he _did_ ," Bickslow whispered.

She looked up towards the starry sky, trying to keep the tears from falling. She didn't need to cry. Upon that revelation, the harshness of their words and the stupid implications made by Laxus, she decided it was time to go back to sleep. _He didn't know Natsu like she did_.

Except he probably did. He's known Natsu a lot longer than she had… But even so, he should be able to tell that it's just not _Nastu_ to do this! Maybe Laxus _was_ as bad as people made him out to be. Maybe-

"Lucy," the blond slayer started. "I'm just worried about you both. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself and you don't deserve this."

"What do you want me to _do_?" She asked, her broken voice having given away the tears she refused to let fall.

He exhaled deeply through his nose. "...Whatever makes _you_ feel better. We're stopping by Margaret Town to get you healed up by Wendy, after that… Take some time. Think about things on your own and make your own decision."

She blinked back more tears and cursed silently when one finally slipped through. "...What if I make the wrong decision..?"

There was a bit of silence before he continued. "We'll still support you. But let me ask you this. Would you throw yourself out of a fourth story window and just hope he's there to catch you now?"

She had to harshly squeeze her eyes shut at that. Part of her soul screamed yes, but his warnings and his demeanor from earlier flashed into her mind again. Would she? Did she truly trust him still..? No, she knew the answer was no… But she didn't want to accept it. She wanted to deny it, to curl away from that word and live in a fantasy world where she never took that job in the first place. She wanted to go to the guild, drink with Cana, laugh with Gray, go home only to wake up with a human heater hogging the bed.

But it _hurt_ to think of that. It _hurt_ to think of him. Of how they used to be. Because from the throbbing in her jaw and in her arms, she _knew_ she'd keep him at arm's length. She wouldn't let him near as close as she used to… And she'd do it out of fear. Out of concern he'd grab her and hurt her again. And knowing that _hurt_. Knowing that when she went home, he'd be there waiting. Probably wanting to act like it never happened. Or maybe waiting on her to say _I told you so_.

Suddenly, she didn't want to be anywhere near the guild.

Lucy cleared her throat and looked back to Laxus' shirt. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes. "...I… I don't want to go back to Fairy Tail yet…"

Bickslow smiled sadly at her. "Why not join us on our mission?"

The lass blinked, then looked to Laxus for confirmation that she was _wanted_ there.

He huffed. "First priority is to get you healed. If Wendy says it's fine, you can come."

She almost cringed at the near harshness of his words. "...I… You don't _have_ to feel obligated to invite me because Bicks said that… I probably shouldn't slow you down anyway…"

The slayer watched her carefully after that and she could almost see the calculations in his gaze. "...Why _wouldn't_ I want you to come?"

At that, she looked at him like he'd grown a third head. "..Because I'm not nearly as battle ready as your team..?"

Though it was worded to sound like she didn't have her equipment, the slayer saw right through it. He leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees, and looked at her sharply. "Blondie. You're telling me that the only celestial mage to have unlocked star dresses in hundreds of years isn't strong enough?"

"How did you-"

"The woman who took Bickslow here out when she was fresh meat? The woman who faced Minerva head on without fear, who has a spell so rare it's been almost completely forgotten in her arsenal? A woman who has collected the most Gold Keys in thousands of years?"

She blinked at him, a little weary of his news. "...How did you know any of that?"

"Well I saw Minerva with my own eyes, and Bickslow _is_ like a brother to me…"

"Not that, the other shit."

He rolled his eyes. "I wanted to know more about your magic. If I'm taking over for Gramps at all, I should know more about your magic to know when to say partner up on missions and when to let you go alone."

She blushed a little at that but nodded. It made sense…

If only she knew what the look Bickslow was sending his leader meant.

"So… You're okay with that..?"

He nodded.

Lucy bit her lower lip, her eyes looking back to the bonfire. "If.. If she doesn't clear me.. Would you mind if I stayed in Margaret Town until you guys get back..?"

"Of course not," Bickslow answered for the slayer. "We planned on picking Wendy up to take her home on the way back anyway."

That caused her to blink. The festival Lamia Scale put on happened the day _after_ tomorrow. Wendy would want to stay behind to help clean.. So that meant that Margaret Town was still at least a day away from their actual location. If not two days. This made her feel a little better about it. If that's the case, she'd have at least a week until she was forced to see her partner again. That _should_ be plenty of time to thoroughly think about everything. Finally, after her mental math, she nodded her agreement… Not that she needed to.

"That… That should be enough time."

"Good," Bickslow said with a nod. "So you're gonna think on it?"

She agreed.

He smiled sadly, but genuinely. "Alright. We should all get some shut eye, then."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed. As she went to stand, though, her _everywhere_ just screeched at her in sheer pain. She cringed, ignored the worried looks from the two men, and stood up- though that action alone took a good three whole minutes. Once she was standing, she took another solid sixty seconds to compose herself and block out the pain again. Then, she smiled at the two. "Goodnight Bickslow… Laxus."

* * *

The next morning was complete and utter _hell_. Luckily, Lucy woke up a little late. Luckily meaning that she didn't have to re-explain things to Freed and Ever. Laxus and Bickslow had filled them in for her, so she didn't have to sit and relive things for yet another time. Still, waking up to obscene pain wasn't something she was used to anymore. With Wendy in the guild, it was rare for any Fairy to live with pain for too long.

She _screamed_ when she accidentally put pressure on her broken left arm, and it took less than a second for Laxus to rush in her tent. His wide, frantic eyes met her watery ones. He was quick to notice the way she cradled the bandaged arm to the best of her abilities, and sighed soon after.

She figured he was fed up with her weakness already.

He was just relieved to see she wasn't in danger.

He crouched down in front of her and held out her keyring to her, which she gratefully took. "So we can do this one of two ways. You let me teleport you to Lamia Scale to get you healed as soon as possible. We'll wait on my team, stock up, and head out after they get there and rest. Or, you can let me carry you and we'll all go together."

Lucy eyed him warily.

 _Why was he being so nice to someone beaten by their own partner?_

She cleared her throat. "Um.. Whichever works best…"

He sighed at that and shook his head. "We're 'porting then. You don't deserve to be in this pain."

He left the tent soon after that, not giving her time to process the words before he left, and it had her watching the door curiously and confused. _Deserve_? What did that even mean? With a sigh, she fingered through the keys and summoned Virgo. Who she didn't expect, or rather what she didn't expect, was for Aries to come barrelling through the opened gate as well. The normally timid spirit immediately apologized very loudly and carefully wrapped her arms around Lucy.

Lucy's wide, brown eyes looked to Virgo, who was actually smiling for once. It was rare to see Aries act without being told and even rarer to see Virgo without her stolid mask on her face. The mage smiled sadly and rubbed her good hand across the ram spirit's back. Looks like her family was happy she was still around.

"Aries, Virgo… Would you mind helping me get ready..? Laxus is going to somehow teleport me to Margaret Town."

"Of course, Princess."

"I'm sorry, Lucy, I just wanted to see you were okay with my own eyes because I was so scared yesterday and-"

The blonde woman laughed a little and squeezed the ram tighter in a hug. "It's perfectly fine, Aries. I'm very happy you did."

The spirit pulled away from the hug and looked at her 'master' with a watery smile. "I'll go back to get clothes… Do.. Do you mind resummoning me..? I-I'm sorry.."

"I don't mind one bit," Lucy nodded.

The spirit vanished in a cloud of sparkles at that point, and Virgo made her way towards the blonde. "Princess, let me re-doctor your wounds first."

* * *

Wendy and Chelia were both startled by the sudden crack of lightning, though the former of the two got over it a lot faster. It wasn't the first time she'd heard Laxus show up in this fashion, and she knew the older Slayer would be showing up with her elder sister figure as soon as he could. The two young women ran outside of the guild hall and, upon seeing exactly what Freed was talking about, the sky maiden could only be shocked.

She was warned that a few burns would startle her, but she didn't know they would enrage her the way they did. She could see the burns on her jawline, the one burn on her right bicep, and could only assume there was a matching one on the pre-bandaged left arm.

"I'm going to kick his ass!" The blue haired lass growled.

Laxus blinked at the ferocity and sheer conviction behind the statement. Moreover, he was stunned by her choice of language.

Lucy sighed softly. "Wen, don't worry about it. It's between Natsu and I."

"Watch your language," Laxus half-heartedly scolded. "You're starting to talk like a Fairy and I'm not sure it suits you."

This got a snort of a laugh from the blonde lass.

Point one to Laxus!

Wendy huffed. "But-"

"Wen," Lucy said sternly.

The young lass whimpered a bit, but didn't say much after that. She, along with her god slaying best friend, guided the pair into Lamia Scale's infirmary ward.

The healing process took some time. More than Laxus anticipated it taking. Sure, he knew she was more banged up than usual, but Team Destruction had come back from many missions still only needing an hour a piece for healing. Sometimes an hour break for Wendy thrown in there. But Lucy alone took three, and if that didn't worry him more than he already was, he didn't know what would. She was knocked out to sleep through it, so she'd feel as little pain as possible, and the two young women made their way through healing her. Chelia took care of the burns after he heard her whisper that she may only be able to heal that much. Wendy encouraged her to do so while she took care of the rest. All in all, it took a little over three whole hours.

The lightning slayer refused to leave the injured woman's side the entire time. Three hours spent sitting on his ass, watching the two healers like a hawk, trying to seem as aloof as possible. Arms crossed over his chest, sound pods on his ears but not playing anything, signature coat wrapped around his shoulders. Other than breathing and blinking, he wasn't sure if he even moved that whole damned time.

And it wasn't until after Wendy got a bottle of water into her system, after all was said and done, that she approached him.

"What are you going to do now?"

He paused but looked up to her from where he sat. In the two years since Alvarez, she was growing up a lot. Turning eighteen soon, too. "She wants to go on our mission with us. If that's fine, she'll tag along. If you think she shouldn't, she'll stay here and we'll swing back by to pick you both up on the way home."

Wendy rolled her eyes and plopped into the seat next to him. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

He looked at her, startled.

"But on that topic, she's clear. The amount of pain she'll be in is easy for someone like her to block out. Just try to make sure she's careful with her left arm." The blue haired lass flipped her long hair over her shoulder and turned to face him from where she sat. "She's like my big sister. Make sure you watch her on that, because she _will_ try to use it more than she needs to."

He nodded. "I will."

"You also didn't answer me."

"I don't _have_ an answer. For you or for me."

The silence was near deafening. Wendy wasn't taking that though.

Her eyes narrowed sharply at him. "I've watched you pine after big sister since you were reinstated. It doesn't take a dragon slayer to see that. How long are you going to wait to tell her that she's your mate?"

He scoffed at that, only to earn a rather strong punch to the arm from her. He rubbed the area a bit before sighing his consent to talk about it. "Not any time soon. Especially not after this. She needs time to heal first. It doesn't help that she's super wary and cautious around me now.."

"You can't blame her," she said softly.

He groaned. "I know… it's taking everything in me to stay calm after finding out what that fucking pyro did."

She offered a smile at that. "You're doing better than I did."

He raised a brow.

"Lyon froze Chelia's herbs and she called me crying. I came early here to kick his butt."

"Did you?"

"Of course!"

"Good girl," he praised. He was shocked that she was willing to beat the hell out of someone over a few little plants, but then again, he knew he'd do the same thing if Lucy ever called him crying.

She giggled but nudged him soon after. "You could guide her, you know." When he didn't respond, she continued. "It's unhealthy to have someone piece you back together because then you'll rely on them too much. That person begins to feel like the glue holding you together, and that's not good.. But you can show her how to pick up the pieces herself and guide her."

He nodded. "...I think I will."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:** I'm actually off work today (for once lmao) and I just went on this writing spree. I read so many of you guys' encouraging comments and it made me want to write and write and write some more. So, surprise! Have another chapter so soon after the last!_

 _I wasn't joking when I said your comments inspire me, you know. c: Thank you all for the continued support, and in the next chapter we'll see Lucy finally- FINALLY- confront Natsu._

* * *

Lucy grumbled under her breath incoherently as the group of mages trekked up the mountainous path. They ended up staying overnight in Margaret Town, and Lucy used that bit of time to get to know Ever on a more personal level- without talk of the storm brewing inside the blonde's emotions. Sure, the Fairy Mage asked her once about it, but dropped it after the blonde lass admitted to not wanting to talk just yet because she still needed to think it over. All in all, it was a good time with the woman.

However, since they lost out on four hours worth of travel time, they had to make up for it today. All of the mages had used their magic in some way to get as close to the destination as possible. Lucy had Gemini-Happy, Ever used the wings from her Fairy Magic that took her even a year after Alvarez to nail down, Freed had his Dark Écriture, Bickslow flew on his babies and Laxus used his lightning travel.

Even using everything they could, doubling up with the fastest few sometimes, they still didn't make it exactly where they needed to go. Laxus had scouted a cliff up the mountain that would be perfect for camping, but made a new ban on using magic to be able to fully recharge before tomorrow. Apparently, the mission tomorrow was going to end up taking a lot out of them.

And yet Lucy still didn't know what they were doing.

After they found the cliff the slayer spoke of, Lucy called Virgo to scout and make sure the Earth there was sturdy enough for them and their luggage. The maid agreed that it was, brought their luggage back from her realm, tried to ask one last time for punishment, then went as far as to put up camp for them. Everyone disagreed with the spirit doing this- including Lucy- but Virgo placated them with food.

Food was always an ample way to shut someone up.

The bonfire was started, food was shared, and in the middle of eating, Ever asked the important question.

"So what exactly is this mission?"

Bickslow opened his mouth to answer, blinked, then turned to Laxus. "Yeah, bossman, it ain't like you to keep us in the dark this long."

"Wyverns," Freed supplied. "There are six wyverns terrorizing the town- we went over this on the first days' walk!"

The two members of the tribe looked to each other and shrugged, both silently agreeing that they had tuned the rune mage out. He probably brought it up in the middle of a rant of his, meaning they _definitely_ weren't paying attention. Laxus choked out a laugh through his bite of food, and Lucy couldn't help but laugh at Laxus' brief choking period- now that he was clearly safe.

"Anyway," Bickslow interjected, "since we obviously weren't paying attention, mind briefing us again, FreeFree?"

The green haired man sighed dramatically. "I should stop repeating myself and let you fend on your own."

"But you love us too much to do that," Ever cooed.

To which Freed deadpanned, "doubtful."

Lucy cleared her throat and offered an apologetic smile. "You can stop briefing them _after_ tonight. I still kind of have to know, too."

The sieth's jaw dropped. "...You're agreeing that he should leave us in the dark?!"

Lucy shrugged. "I stopped repeating myself in Team Natsu long ago. If nobody wanted to listen, Erza and I would be calling the shots because we actually cared."

Laxus nodded. "She has a point."

"Boss!" Ever cried indignantly.

Freed cleared his throat, obviously feeling more confident about his decision. "So we received a request on behalf of the town of Amaryllis. Five wyvern and their assumed mother have been stealing cattle in the dead of night. They've ruined several businesses by flying through their stores and demolishing the building in their wake. They have no dragon slayers in the local guilds and assumed that since Wyvern are related to Dragons in old texts, they needed one. They sought out the Twin Dragons, who were out of commission on a separate mission, then reached out to Fairy Tail."

Lucy blinked and nodded. "Did you snag it before Erza for our team, or..?"

Laxus shook his head. "They specifically requested me and my team. Erza and Natsu were offered the job first despite me being requested, but Erza and Gray took off to meet up with Crime and see how they were doing."

And the blonde lass nodded. "Makes sense. Erza and Jellal are basically a thing and Gray sees Mare as a little sister so… Aw, dammit," she nearly yelled once something registered in her brain. "I missed a chance to check in with them too. Assholes, see if I let you in my house for a few weeks," she said mostly to herself as she glared at the fire.

Bickslow snorted a laugh at that. "What, is your place the local hotspot? Cana and Lisanna talk about coming over a lot, too."

She shrugged rather dramatically. "I guess? I don't know what's so damned special about it. It's a small, open flat studio apartment for fuck's sake! Cana, Lis, Natsu, Gray, Erza, Wendy and Levy all just… _Break in_ on the regular."

Freed cringed. "I could offer assistance? I could put some runes up if you want."

She looked over at him and blinked, never having thought of that before. But her face fell into a bit of a smile once the thought played over a few times in her head. "It's fine, Freed. Thank you, though. It… It just wouldn't be _right_ if I didn't come home to someone sitting in my chair or doing something stupid in my apartment."

Evergreen rolled her eyes. "It'd drive me insane."

"Oh, it definitely does," Lucy agreed with a laugh. "But there's something so homely and welcoming and just… Wonderful feeling about knowing your friends love and trust you so much they want to be around you even when you're not there."

She blinked at that and offered her own smile. "When you put it that way, it doesn't sound all that bad…"

Lucy laughed a bit at that.

"Well maybe I should start breaking into your place, Cosplayer," Bickslow said while waggling his brows suggestively at her.

She didn't have a chance to respond before Laxus shocked him.

"Absolutely not," he responded sternly. "You can be an idiot all you want, but don't be _that_ kind of idiot."

His team saw through the words- straight to the slight jealousy lingering there.

Lucy, on the other hand, was clueless.

"It's not that bad, Laxus," she replied like a diplomat. "You're all welcome at any time you want. Just be aware that it's probably not as nice as your places."

Evergreen waved it off with her hand. "This new place you're in is super nice, Lucy, don't discourage yourself like that." The woman then leaned forward a bit. "Did you get Reedus to do the ceiling or something?"

The men looked at the blonde, confused. She just shrugged. "Nope, did it myself!"

Ever's eyes widened. "Are you serious?!"

"Mmhmm." Lucy nodded and held up her keyring. "The stars are something I'm intimately familiar with, so mapping them out from memory wasn't that hard. The glow in the dark paint was the real kicker, I was surprised I managed to get my hands on it."

Bickslow leaned forward at this. "You mean to tell me you're brushin' off the whole _having the entire night sky memorized_ thing?!"

"Well yeah," she shrugged. "It's like Laxus being able to tell weather patterns from his magic. It's one of those repercussions that you just… Don't really think about."

Freed looked up at the sky they could see, then curiously asked "what constellations are out tonight?"

Lucy smiled, a bright and beaming smile, and followed his line of sight. She pointed a bit. "You see that bright, bluish star? That's Venus. To her lower left, the orange ball? That's Aldebaran. It's very faint because it's fading out right now. We'll see it again around Springtime, though. Right beneath Venus is Gemini."

Lucy felt eyes on her, but didn't place who, as she was too excited to share this with someone else. She didn't care who was watching her instead of looking at where she was pointing- and thus, missed the longing look in a pair of storm blue eyes.

She pointed to the east. "You can barely make out Vega and I bet, in a few nights, we'll see Deneb too. The Summer Triangle is coming out. Altair is the late one of the three." Her hand turned to another portion of the sky and, suddenly, she no longer felt the eyes watching her. "Right now, the moon is between Jupiter and Venus. To the right, that larger ball is Jupiter. Right below Jupiter is the constellation Libra. There are four decently visible stars in Libra, and we'd need a super strong telescope to see any others. It's kinda shaped like a box? It's not one of the larger constellations, though. That's Virgo over here between the moon and Jupiter. Her constellation is the largest of the zodiac."

"What's the largest overall?" Laxus asked.

Lucy was stunned he'd even spoken and looked over at him. His face was upward bound towards the skies, eyes trained on what she assumed to be where Virgo was. She cleared her throat and pointed to the east again. "The star there is Delta Hya. It comes in a loop, sort of, but this constellation is clear across the sky right now so follow me. Just near it is Epsilon Hya, Zeta Hya, Theta Hya, and Iota Hya is a few marks above that bright one there- that's Regulus, by the way. It comes all the way across here, through Alphard, Lambda Hya, Mu Hya, Nu Hya- just beneath that star is Crater. Xi Hya, and just beneath it is Corvus. And then all the way over here in the East is Gamma Hya. That makes up constellation Hydra."

"Does Hydra have a key?" Evergreen asked.

Lucy laughed a little. "It's one of the phantom keys. There's no known record of around seven constellations' keys. Hydra, Draco, Pegasus, Phoenix, Cassiopeia and Cepheus. Cepheus is, in lore, said to be the King of the Celestial Realm, making me think that's Stache Face. Cassiopeia is his wife, though I've never heard anything about her even from the spirits I have, so I don't know that bit. And the last key that there's no known key for is Andromeda, which makes sense. She would be the daughter of the King and Queen."

After that, the group took some time asking Lucy various questions about the sky, the stars and such. Evergreen was the first to yawn, but Bickslow was the first to turn in for the night. Lucy stayed outside, her eyes trained on the vast expanse of stars above her head. It had sounded, to her, like everyone had turned in for the night.

All but one.

She heard Laxus take a seat right next to the ground she was laying on. Though she expected to see him turn to look at her in her peripheral vision, she was startled (and happy) to see him follow her gaze upwards. It was silent, but companionable, for a moment after that.

"You're kind of amazing," he finally said. "You know that, right?"

She turned her head to look at him, but he never took his eyes off the sky.

"You manage to talk about this… This expanse… Like it's nothing more than a math equation. But to me, all I see is…" She could see his eyes shift from place to place, searching the sky for an answer she didn't know if it had. "...Freedom."

That made her tilt her head. "Freedom..?"

He nodded. "Look out there. You may see constellations, but look at the individual stars. They're independent, they shine on their own and they look amazing. But they're out in a vastness that I can't compare to anything. Yet they still shine on. They're alone and they're beautiful," he then pointed towards Libra, "but when you put them together, they're powerful. They're independent, yet able to operate in clusters."

She blinked her brown eyes and followed the trail of his finger.

"I never thought of that."

"The stars were a way for me to escape when I was younger," he admitted with great hesitance. "There was just something comforting about looking up to see these… These amazing things that could be so unchained, yet so free to be chained if they so wanted."

Lucy sat up and looked at him, noticing the slight tension in his shoulders. Though they were tense, she could easily tell it was because he was unused to talking about such things- not the same tension that was built up in Natsu's shoulders. His eyes sparkled with longing and appreciation as he watched the sky. The moon casted a near ethereal glow onto his slightly sunkissed skin, showing off his strong jawline and hardened features with ease.

He looked beautiful.

She had to look away, return her gaze to the stars, before she started blushing. "Yeah," she agreed. "I know what you mean… Though I have to admit, while this is one of the most comforting things for me… I also feel very comfortable in a storm, too." She smiled shyly, but never turned to look at him- even after he turned to look at her. "So… There's that."

He smiled and she missed it completely.

"We should probably head to bed, Blondie."

This time, when she looked at him, he could see a playful spark instead of the dead eyes he's been seeing lately. "Whatever you say, _Sparky_."

He snorted a laugh at that, but didn't question it.

* * *

Lucy sat opposite of Evergreen, awaiting the go-ahead. Bickslow and Lucy had teamed up to do some scouting, to figure out where the wyvern were with his babies and her spirits. Gemini was really helpful there, obviously. And, thus, the idea of the plan was born after all five children were located. There were five in the group, and an even split was one a piece. However, Lucy pointed out that no matter how young they were, it was still going to be an uphill fight, so if someone managed to take one down they needed to go help someone who was struggling.

Unfortunately, the Mother was nowhere to be found.

Still, even with that wildcard, the group was pretty confident. First, all five mages would lock into place. Laxus would sent a very small amount of electrical shocks to the ground to get them to scatter. Lucy and Laxus would take the west, Freed would take the south, and Bickslow and Ever were taking the east. That left enough wiggle room for people to adjust. As of now, though, Ever and Lucy could- barely- see each other across the cliffside cave's entrance. Neither saw anything yet.

Until a _massive_ beast came running out. Then another. And another.

Lucy's eyes were wide as saucers at that point. _This_ was how huge the babies were?! They were crouching low on their two hind legs and still were twice her height! She glanced back at Laxus, who nodded to her. After seeing Freed and Bickslow suit up for battle, Lucy followed with her keys in hand.

As agreed, Lucy would pop off the first attack. Since the others hadn't worked with her before, they would then follow lead enough to get the mission taken care of.

Lucy held up one key and touched her nose to it, her brown eyes narrowing dangerously. Her eyes scanned the three closest to her, and she pinpointed the smallest looking one. It was safest that she took the runt- or the youngest hatchling- with her arm still not at a hundred percent. She felt multiple sets of eyes on her, and her eyes began to glow gold. Soon after, almost akin to the way Erza requips, Lucy found herself in a pair of asymmetrical pants and a leather bra. Her hair in buns.

"Lend me your strength, Taurus," she whispered. Then, her hand reached for another key- not sure if this would be enough or not. She had to try it though. "Lend me your light, Leo."

The whip at her side met the same glow of her eyes and faded soon after, as though to reassure the blonde that it was there.

"Here we go," she whispered.

Her gloved right hand grabbed her whip and she jumped up high, flicking her wrist with the whip as though it were an extension of her person. The whip glowed a vibrant, near blinding gold hue as it circled and wrapped tightly around the wyvern's neck. "Maximum Regulus Kick!" she called out. Using her magic to withdraw the whip back into the handle, she flung herself at high velocity directly towards the beast. Her foot began glowing and a sickening, resounding crack echoed through the cave before it shrieked in pain. Having connected her kick with the back of it's neck, Lucy summoned the two who's powers she was drawing from.

"A perfect wranglin', Miss Luuuuucy!" Taurus shouted as he ran towards the beast with his massive axe in hand.

Loke complimented her use of their powers before launching into his own attacks on the beast as well.

With a tight grasp on the whip holding the wyvern in place, Lucy felt like a bull rider. Loke blinded it, Taurus slashed at it, and it was her job to try and slowly choke the life out of it. But she was getting annoyed at how much it fought back. Her spirits were quick to dodge every flailing motion, every swipe of its claws it tried to give, so that was the only consolation.

But it flung it's head upwards.

Lucy went flying again.

Her back hit the roof rock of the cave and she snarled. "Bitch!" she shouted, her right fist glowing with Loke's power. Barely having the time to, Lucy kicked off of the ceiling with her legs, thrusting her face first towards the beast. "Regulus Power Punch!"

Probably not the best title for a move, but it was the first thing to her mind.

Lucy vaulted downwards and her fist connected with the back of the wyvern's head. With Taurus' additional strength and the light of Regulus on her side, she thought it may knock the beast out. What she didn't plan on was the attack being so highly concentrated on the one area her fist hit, that she'd wind up going straight through it's skull completely.

Taurus caught her safely once she emerged from the other side of its head, covered in blood.

The blonde smiled up at the bull spirit. "Thanks, Taur!"

"Anytime, Miss Luuuucy!"

She laughed and looked between the two. "Are you guys alright for another?"

Taurus nodded and grinned really wide. Loke simply pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, looking over at something. She followed his gaze to see Freed staring at her with his mouth agape and Laxus with his brows up high. She rolled her eyes and motioned to the last two.

"Since these two want to stand around and gape, lets help Ever out."

"Ready for launch?" Taurus asked, sitting his axe down on the ground. Lucy climbed up on the blade and nodded at him. "Kick ass, Princess!" the bull shouted as he flung the woman as hard as he could towards the fairy mage.

Lucy readied her whip and struck out mid-air, once again grabbing the hatchling by the throat. She was flung a little off course, but landed on her feet on the wall of the cave. Evergreen looked at her with wide eyes, but Lucy paid it no mind. She kicked off the wall and flew into the beast. Once her arms were locked around its neck, she heard Loke confirm he and Evergreen had the wings. Then, Taurus came in to grab it's legs. Lucy reached as high as she could with her right arm and started squeezing as tightly as she could, constricting the whip along with her.

She felt the whip's magic snap closed.

The wyvern had been decapitated, and she was falling down clinging to its head.

Loke managed to catch her this time.

Despite the blood lingering all over her person, Bickslow still pulled her in for a tight hug and out of the lion's hold. "Gods be damned, Cosplayer! Whoever the _fuck_ says ya weak? Dead to me." He laughed and twirled her around in his arms.

She laughed along with him and only managed a smile when she was put on her feet again. Laxus even smiled down at her, a look in his eyes that made her stomach twist.

Natsu never looked at her with so much pride.

Nor did he look at her with… Whatever that was lingering in the back of those storm blue eyes.

Natsu looked at her with excitement, but never pride. The warmth that flooded her veins at Laxus' mere look made her realize just how long she _wanted_ to get more looks like that. How much she _wanted_ someone to completely support her, to be proud of how far she's come. But maybe it just wasn't Natsu to get _prideful_ of anything like that… Laxus' eyes weren't completely readable, but there was _definitely_ pride there. She could read Natsu's eyes like an open book. His eyes were always filled with excitement, but never pride. His eyes were filled with worry.

Filled with anger.

A shiver raced down her spine at the thought.

"There's still no sign of the mother," Freed said and successfully tore both Laxus and Lucy away from staring at one another. Lucy blushed at being caught while Laxus only managed to seem a little more tense. "This is a problem."

"Is it, though?" Evergreen asked, leaning back against the cave wall. "It gives us a little time to regroup and build up a bit more magic."

The rune mage nodded. "True, but it's more likely that _we'll_ be blindsighted. We definitely don't need that, especially if this is the mother."

Bickslow shrugged. "I've seen bossman take 'em out in less than ten minutes back in the day. Couple him 'n Cosplayer, even an angry momma don't stand a chance."

"For once you have a point," Ever snarked with a smirk. She winked at him when he poked his tongue out at her. "Seriously, girl, I've never seen that before."

"We worked with her for an entire year, nonstop," Loke began, "trying to get her to the next level. The last time she had to go all out like this was Alvarez, and you guys weren't anywhere near our location then. I'm not surprised."

Lucy leaned against the wall next to Ever and shrugged. "Even then, I didn't know how to combine powers, though." Taurus rubbed the top of her head affectionately and took his leave without another word.

"True," he admitted. "But you _could_ use Gemini's."

She nodded, her brows going up in a _fair enough_ look.

"You should probs get outta here, Playboy," Bickslow said as he nudged the cat. "If Cheerleader is gonna help us out, she'll need them magic reserves."

The spirit looked up at the sieth and Lucy could _easily_ tell that there was some form of mental conversation happening between the two. On the outside, it looked as though they were glaring each other down. The feelings she got from Leo's key said otherwise. Her eyes narrowed before it looked like her spirit conceded.

"Right," Loke then turned to the blonde. "Call me if you need anything, Princess. I'm always up for a date~"

He winked, then vanished.

Lucy grumbled and threw a stone where he was previously standing, hoping to get to her spirit on time, but he barely left before the stone flew through the sparkles he left behind. "Jackass," she mumbled.

"We do have to talk, though," Laxus began. When all eyes were on him, he focused on Lucy. "First, how's your arm?"

Oh yeah, that was a thing she was supposed to watch out for. Lucy looked down at her left arm and rotated it carefully. A very minor jolt of pain rushed through her shoulder, but it felt like a poke. Like a child trying to get your attention and pokes just a tad too hard. It wasn't anything substantial. "Fine," she finally replied. "It's weird using my right hand for the whip, but it's not impossible."

He nodded when she looked back at him. "Here's the issue. I've only ever taken out babies before. I've never dealt with a mother. I don't know what we're going to be in for with this."

Freed cleared his throat. "Wyverns aren't violent by nature, but in ancient years, mothers were known to tear across the countryside to save their young. However, this was also during the years Dragons roamed freely- so it's entirely possible the accounts mixed the two beasts."

"It also doesn't help that the magic that _was_ around wasn't fully cultivated yet." Lucy peeled off the wall to step closer to the rune mage. "Wyvern young were also said to have high defenses, yet here we are having taken out five. We have no credible source of information and no knowledge on how to proceed."

A small nod came from him, agreeing that she was entirely right. "Without even an inkling, we're as good as blind."

"Not quite," Laxus replied.

Bickslow tilted his head like a confused dog. "What do ya mean, bossman?"

"Wendy told me to ask Lucy if we ever got in a rough situation. Said she could look up anything at any time with a spirit." He lazily turned to the blonde, who was pouting. "What's that about?"

She rolled her brown eyes. "Ruining my fun. I wanted to see what Freed had to offer first."

"We have to assume that we don't have the luxury of time on our side, miss Lucy," the rune mage scolded lightly.

"I know, but Grampa Crux hasn't gotten back to me." She shrugged and lifted a single silver key. "I asked him through our bond to fill me in on wyvern weaknesses when we first headed up the mountain. He told me sheer strength would work on the young but asked for time for the mother."

Laxus nodded at this. "One step ahead of the game. I like that."

Lucy had to force down a blush. Luckily it never reached her face. "I try to be as prepared as possible."

"And you didn't tell us about the strength bit?" Evergreen asked pointedly. "You know Bix and I aren't as strong as Laxus is."

"But I also know that if I stole your chance to even try, you'd be mad." Though the retort was sharp, it was spoken like a true peace keeper. "Our plan was perfect for what we needed to do. Those strong enough to take it down quickly would help you two without making you guys feel invalid about the whole thing."

It was obvious that she was speaking from experience on that.

Nobody argued after that was said.

Laxus cleared his throat. "So the mother, we can assume, will be a lot more powerful. That puts me on the list for offensive attack. Freed will be my backup. Lucy, what do you _want_ to do?"

The lass was thrown for a loop.

Usually, Erza gave out commands and demands. Lucy was usually stuck on support instead of being on the front lines. Usually, she was guarding and helping Wendy, so that the healer of the group didn't go down. While it was an extremely important task to keep the healer healthy, it wasn't ever what Lucy _wanted_. But here, Laxus offered her a choice. Someone so powerful that he was up for consideration for Sainthood was telling her that it was her _choice_ to be support or to be on the front lines.

Natsu's visage flashed to her mind again.

 _You can't fight_.

She felt her magic surge within at the echoing of the words.

 _When we fight, you listen to me_.

No, that wasn't right. Here Laxus was, someone who could still wipe the floor with her partner, gave her enough faith to choose where to go. She looked up to meet his eyes and was surprised to see conviction in them. He was dead set on giving her an option, letting her choose her own path. He believed in her. That alone gave her the confidence boost she needed to make up her mind, but before she could say she wanted on the front lines, she wanted to think about it. While yes, there was no healer to guard and yes, there was no wrong answer due to the versatile nature of her magic, she still wanted to ensure the best game plan.

Her mind started up like clockwork.

"Laxus, you're the tank. Freed, you're backup." Though it was stated like a command, the two knew she was mapping out the ideas like a chess board in her head. "...Ever and Bickslow are support. Which means-"

"Lady Lucy," an old voice chimed in.

The group turned to the sudden appearance of the Southern Cross.

"Gramps," she said happily. "What'd you find?"

"Nothing good, I assure you," he crowed. His back straightened a little. "I'll unload the information in your mind. You have not the time for me to say, talk it over, then make a plan. Lord Draco has stated the mother is on her way and she's closing in fast."

Lucy nodded at that and crouched to let Crux touch her forehead. Once he did, a bright light shined from his fingertip, and he was gone.

Freed looked at her with a determined gaze. "I trust your judgement, Lucy. What do we need to do?"

She looked to him, a little startled. Wendy was usually the only one who heard her out on tactics and plans, but here he was giving her full support. One look around the group made her realize that they were all placing their trust in her. Trust that she'd guide them out of this situation. She cleared her throat and nodded, thinking over the information given.

"We're only in serious trouble if the scales are brown. That would indicate an Earth Wyvern, which is resistant to Laxus' magic. But, because the scales on the babies are a silvery white, it looks like they're Wind Wyverns. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain I'm right." She looked over to Bickslow and Evergreen. "The wings are a fleshy, soft spot. Concentrate your attacks there to keep it landlocked. If it takes to the sky even once, we're dead. If it does happen, give chase and take it down as fast as you can."

The two nodded.

Her eyes turned to Freed. "You're going to be our switch instead of our backup. You need to help them with the wings, then start focusing on the tail. Wyverns have insane strength and could kill us all with the tail alone. I trust you're fast enough to get that done?"

"I will be, yes. A speed rune will do me well," Freed commented idly.

"There are four central weak points to a wyvern. The wings? That's the first. With Ever and Bicks on the wings, that brings us down to three." Lucy turned to Laxus with conviction in her eyes. "You and I will be on the front lines. Gemini is my ace in the hole. If I pull Gemini out, you have to promise me you'll go all out."

"Dragon force if I see Gemini. Got it."

She nodded and continued. "The largest weak point is the underbelly. The weakest part of that is the tail. Freed, if you _can_ , wait until the tail is raised before attacking the underside of it. It's soft and fleshy and will be your best bet. However, if it's too dangerous, don't you dare try. We're getting out of this alive, we're not sacrificing a damned person for one wyvern." He nodded his agreement at that. "The last two places are going to be solely for Laxus and I. We can focus on different ones. The _thighs_ of it are weaker than the rest, but they're still very tough. Laxus, your magic is very powerful and can easily penetrate things like that. Can you focus on the thighs?"

He nodded, his head turning to the entrance of the cave. "Quickly, Blondie, I hear the wings on the wind."

She looked out there as well. "Wind Wyverns are weak against Ice, Lightning, Rock magic, and pure energy. Bicks, your Baryon Formation will be your best move. Ever, Leprechaun and Gremlin are your best attacks against this thing. I'll be focusing on the head."

"Woah, what about breath attacks?!" Bickslow shouted.

She shook her head. "They don't have magic like Dragons. Their magic comes from their wings, not their mouths."

The two 'support' mages looked to one another and nodded.

"The best way to tackle this is to meet it mid-air. Freed, Bicks and Ever, if you're fine with that, do it. When you see it on the horizon, start outward. Laxus and I will make sure it's not moving too fast. In the event that it goes down and your job is done, step back behind us. If we miss an opening, don't give warning, just _attack_."

"Understood," Freed said as he pulled out his rapier.

Lucy found her eyes scanning the horizon, both looking for the beast and also thinking of her best plan of attack. Loke and Taurus needed a break and she didn't think they'd be top tier in this battle anyway. Thinking of her options, Lucy quickly summoned Sagittarius and quickly stepped into his star dress.

"Good Afternoon, Princess!" he said exuberantly. "Sir Leo has told me of the situation!"

She smiled at him and nodded. "When the mother shows up, we pelt it with arrows to slow it down for the team. Does that sound fine?"

He nodded and bowed to her. "Of course, Princess! I never miss my mark!"

She laughed a little at him but brushed it off.

"Lucy, coming in at 2 o'clock!" Bickslow shouted as he jumped onto his babies. Evergreen and Freed flew out with him, all three taking to the skies to meet the wyvern.

Laxus looked at the blonde. "What if it goes down before the nest we're in?"

"It will," she commented as both she and her spirit drew their bows taught. "You don't attack because you'll be porting us down there."

"Got it. I'm counting on you Blondie."

"I won't let you down, Sparky," she replied.

She and Sagittarius both aimed in perfect synchronization. The wind was blowing to the north, the wyvern was to the East. It was flying in super fast, too, meaning they had to be extra careful. But the magic circle appeared in front of both Lucy's and Sagittarius' bow.

"Arrow Rain!" the duo shouted.

They released the string and a barrage of projectiles flew from the bow. While no, not every one of them hit the wyvern, a large portion of them did. Lucy dropped her star dress as Sagittarius launched one more onslaught to be on the safe side. The beast slowed down exceptionally once pelted with nearly three hundred arrows from the two spells from the spirit and the one from the keyholder. She saw the light of Bickslow's Baryon Formation Canon fly off and just barely miss the wing, but still hit the beast full force.

Evergreen's attack, however, landed square on the wing, and Lucy could see the red fly off of it from here. She'd gotten it perfect and had the beast bleeding, even though it was still airborne. Freed's deep purple attack happened simultaneous to Bickslow's next attack, and she noticed how the beast was close to failing to fly. It was struggling, and that was their cue. She looked to Sagittarius and nodded, letting him shoot off once more because she trusted him not to harm her comrades more than she trusted herself. Once the spell shot off, she stepped into Laxus' arms.

Sagittarius said goodbye and left. Lucy had to pointedly ignore how her skin seemed to heat to unreal degrees from him holding her like this. She could feel his large, calloused hand on her near-bare hip and it wasn't doing battle-appropriate things to her body. He looked down at her.

"Ready?"

She nodded, meeting his eyes.

She had to ignore the way he looked at her, too. Lucy didn't know what exactly that look meant, but it gave her butterflies and made lava pour through her veins. She didn't need that at the moment. She had to focus.

The air charged up around them and she felt like she was floating. The electricity ignited every nerve in her body as they shifted through the currents to join the team. It took less than two seconds, but it felt like two minutes. The way his magic completely encompassed her filled her with hope and something that made her chest feel light. Like a balloon was filling up inside of it. It was a beautiful feeling that rocked her to her soul.

And it was gone the moment her feet hit the ground.

The two blondes looked skyward just in time to see the wyvern falling. Its wings were tattered and torn, but still barely useable. Freed looked like he took a little more damage than she thought he needed to, but he had his claws sunk into the wyvern's flesh. The beast was bleeding profusely, but it was absolutely enraged.

It's eyes were red when they met Lucy's.

A spark of slight panic rose in her chest, but she quashed it as soon as she could. Her hands gripped for her keys and before she could speak, Virgo was out. She stepped into the maid's star dress and was ready for the next phase.

The spirit tunneled into the earth, readying a crater for the beast to be locked into.

The wyvern flapped its wing.

A gust of wind came out, so powerful it knocked Evergreen out of the sky and uprooted several trees nearby.

The Fairy screamed as she fell, and Lucy barely had the mind to instruct Virgo to stop and catch the woman. Thankfully, Virgo got there just in time.

"Fragment Beam!" Bickslow shouted, balancing on one of his babies while the other four paired up into two separate pairs. The beams shot out, strong as ever, and pierced through yet another part of the wings.

The wyvern fought back, it's other wing flapping out. The wind knocked Bickslow off of his perch, but his babies caught him before he hit the ground.

Lucy didn't like where this was going.

She watched as Laxus stormed forward, lightning encompassing his being, and watched as he shot off punch after punch on the beast. Yet it didn't seem like it was doing anything at all. The beast kicked out and knocked the lightning mage back.

His chest was cut.

Though she didn't know what came over her, Lucy saw red.

"Virgo!" she screamed, throwing both of her hands down on the ground. "Maiden's Chains!" she screeched.

The spirit vanished in a puff. Soon after she'd returned to the spirit realm, six massive chains- reminiscent of the shackles on the spirit's wrists- erupted from the ground. One clasped tightly around its neck, two around either wings, two around either legs and the final around its tail. Lucy cringed when the pull of her magic came. The earth beneath the beast collapsed in, thanks to Virgo's previous efforts.

It wasn't deep, but it was enough to give the mage's the upper hand.

But the drain on Lucy was high.

One of her eyes shut in pain and concentration. Pain rocketed up her left arm.

"Attack it now!" she screamed.

The group rushed at the draconic being. Bickslow and Evergreen went to the same wing, focusing their attacks on the joint that connected the wing to it's back. It took a good two whole minutes, but they managed to rip the wing off of the beast. Laxus managed to put three gaping holes in both thighs, and Freed had its tail so bloody and unrecognizable by that point. Five minutes in, Lucy felt her grip on the chains slip.

"Get back!" she screamed.

The chains fell away.

The wyvern roared something fierce, shaking the trees and the earth with the sound. It didn't have enough control over its tail to do bad damage anymore, but it had enough control to knock Freed back hard enough for him to fall out of his transformation. Bickslow and Evergreen weren't much better. Ten minutes of non-stop magic use was wearying on anyone. Even in the Games, there are small intervals where you're anticipating an attack or awaiting an attack or even just watching your opponent. During the fights, you don't typically use your magic this much for an extended period of time.

Laxus was even panting out as he sat up.

Her eyes caught his.

"It's almost out, but so are we…" he shouted back to her. "What now?"

Lucy blinked at this. There was one option that she hadn't thought of before- but she wasn't sure anyone was in the position to try it out. She rushed towards Laxus, her star dress changing mid-run. A tattoo-like emblem across her collar bones. The high pigtails over half of her hair being left down. The bathing suit like outfit.

"We're trying a Unison Raid," she called as she approached him.

He blinked at her and looked at her like she was crazy. "I've never done one of those before and we've never-"

"Shut up and listen to me," she growled out as she helped him to his feet. "The two most versatile types of magic, the easiest to mold with another type, are Celestial and Water. Combine the two? You have the easiest type of magic to do a Unison Raid with. I did one with Juvia years back, and we've never once trained together nor have we trained for it."

"There's so much that could go wrong, Lucy."

"But there's so much that could go right, Laxus." She gripped his hand tightly in hers. "Even if we fail, Water and Lightning are a dangerous combination. It should be enough to take it out."

"And if it's not?"

"I've still got Gemini. Someone may need to carry me home, but I've still got Gemini."

He watched her warily and nodded. "What do I need to do?"

"Pour your magic into your hand that's connected with mine. When you feel mine meet yours, send it outward with me." She tightened her hold on his hand just a bit more. "Aquarius' star dress is one of my strongest ones. This should be more than enough."

Laxus nodded and squeezed her hand back. "I trust you."

Her heart skipped a beat.

The wyvern raised its head and looked at the two dangerously.

Laxus poured all of his magic into his hand and was just as startled as Lucy was when he felt the effects of their magics mingling. His magic, just like when he ported them, caressed and cradled Lucy and her magic. It encompassed her, it surrounded her, it protected her. And her magic reached out to do the same. The two opposing magic types lingered in their hands, meeting and melding into something new, something more powerful than either had ever felt before.

" _Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!_ " Laxus chanted.

" _Break the Earth with clashing waves, pull the waters beyond the seas and force the tide to become a monsoon!_ " Lucy chanted.

Their conjoined hands lifted. The earth around Lucy began to shift and melt as though it were water itself. Water pulled itself from the skies, the plants around them, and joined in with the earth undulating. Laxus' lightning, powerful and frenzied, covered every aspect of Lucy's spell.

"AQUA METRIA!"

"RAGING BOLT!"

The two attacks surged forward and mixed further. What appeared to be a hurricane, wrapped in red lightning, surged forward and completely encompassed the now screeching wyvern. It pushed past the beast, taking out a large chunk of the forest behind it.

Well, Lucy _was_ a member of Team Destruction…

When the storm died out, all that was left was the charred and scorched remains of the beast. Bickslow and Evergreen cheered loudly, and Freed was openly voicing his shock and awe at their sudden yet near perfect Unison Raid. Neither of the blonde mages listened, though.

Lucy was so excited she jumped into Laxus' arms, her arms wrapping around his neck. He was stunned silent that she would do this, but managed to wrap his arms around her in return. His team knew what she was to him. He knew, Wendy knew… Hell, Natsu and Gajeel probably knew too. Upon thinking about Natsu, though, he nearly snarled but held it in. She said she'd take care of it…

"I can't believe it worked so well!" she laughed out happily.

His heart fluttered.

He let out a laugh of his own. "We just have to let them know about the destruction, little miss monster."

She laughed back at that, but didn't say much more. Instead, she slipped out of his hold and went to pull away… But he grabbed her hand. Pain surged through her left hand- _not_ the one she used during their raid- and she winced. He easily caught onto this and huffed.

"You overdid it."

"I did," she agreed.

He gave her a soft smile, one that made her feel all warm and tingly. These foreign feelings didn't settle well with her.

She decided Laxus was dangerous to be around.

"Let's get you home."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:** So, uh, I hope nobody hates me for the Natsu interaction. Keep in mind, there's another big one coming up between Lucy and Natsu in a few chapters. This isn't the last one, and their friendship will start to rebuild itself. It won't be perfect, everything considered, but it'll be a work in progress nonetheless. I won't spoil anything, but uh. I'm sorry in advance?_

 _Anyway, here's this chapter. I hope you all at least like the ending bit. c;_

 _Continue to review! I thrive on them, lmao._

* * *

After obtaining Wendy in their little group, the six mages set out via train to get back to Magnolia. While Laxus was perfectly contented with this idea- as Wendy could cast Troia on him before they left out- Wendy wasn't as confident as he was. It wasn't until Chelia offered to try her best to cast a spell similar enough to let Wendy make it home.

That made the sky maiden agree.

It was still a full three hour train ride, though, which only amplified the blue haired lass' worry that the spell may wear off before they got home. Still, she seemed absolutely perfect to lay on the bench with her head in Lucy's lap. Absentmindedly, the blonde played with her hair there on her lap. Across from the two sat Bickslow, Laxus and Freed. Evergreen was closest to the window on Lucy's opposite side.

"I would _not_ have been able to last that long covered in drying wyvern blood," Ever said with disgust clearly lacing her tone.

Lucy shrugged. "You gotta do what'cha gotta do."

"Amen to that, Cheerleader," the sieth praised. "I swear, Ever wouldn't survive in the wild longer than a day."

"I could so last longer!"

"I'd bet my house that you couldn't!"

"Alright you two," Laxus groaned out.

Wendy giggled and looked up at her sister figure. "Remind you of anyone?"

Lucy smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah, sure does."

The slayer on her lap cringed. "Sorry… I forgot about that…"

"It's fine," the blonde replied simply. "I'll have to face the music sooner or later."

"Sooner rather than later," Freed piped up. "We're less than ten minutes from the station."

"So soon?" Lucy breathed out, her eyes barely widening.

Bickslow leaned forward, his elbows rested on his knees and his hands clasped together. It was very obvious he was studying the celestial spirit mage and boy did she _feel_ judged. "Are you ready for that?"

Lucy blinked at that. Again, these guys who were some of the most powerful mages in the guild, were looking out for her. She still wasn't entirely sure if she was more shocked, awed, or if it felt like they looked down on her. There's only so many times you could ask someone what's wrong before getting fed up, after all. It took a second for her to thoroughly think about it, the situation she's been put in, and form the words in the best way she could. Obviously, an ' _I'm fine_ ' wasn't going to fly- especially not since literally everyone was now looking at her.

She gulped. "No," she answered honestly. "I'm not. But I know I never _will_ be ready for it… All things considered, I think… I think I'm okay with it happening soon."

Laxus nodded at this. "There's no easy way around this, and pretending isn't going to make things any better."

Inwardly, Lucy cursed at the damned Dreyars and their intuition. She was inadvertently called out on what she planned to do- which was pretend like nothing happened. Her eyes narrowed at the man only slightly. He still caught it and one corner of those… Those… _Dastardly_ lips curled upwards in a smirk. Or, rather, the ghost of a smirk. Her change was so minute, he managed to mirror how subtle the change was.

Yes, Dastardly had to be the best option to describe his mouth. She refused to think any further on them or how they looked. How they seemed rough but surprisingly unchapped. Stop that, Lucy, stop thinking of his mouth.

"Are you going to approach him..?" Evergreen finally asked.

The blonde snapped out of it- a trance that may have lasted less than three seconds but felt three minutes long- and turned to look past the brunette and out the window. "I… Don't think so. I'm going home to unpack, then I'm going to the guild… If he's there, he's there. We'll wind up seeing each other soon. Neither of us can stay away from Fairy Tail."

Wendy frowned a bit. "Can I punch him?"

"No, do not punch your brother."

"...Bite him?"

"Do _not_ bite him either."

Wendy huffed at her sister. "You're no fun."

"You're getting too spunky," she replied and pressed her finger to the younger woman's nose. "Stop hanging out with Cana."

"No," she pouted.

Lucy's brown eyes rolled dramatically at that.

Freed cleared his throat and her cocoa eyes snapped onto the rune mage. "Miss Lucy, may I ask what you'll do if things… Turn south?"

The woman cringed. She hadn't thought that far ahead, once again placing blind faith into Natsu that he wouldn't retaliate. Hopefully with _out_ a seething _I told you so_ like she anticipated. Her white teeth worried the flesh of her bottom lip, her eyes never leaving Freed's turquoise ones. "...Call Erza, I guess… Maybe take a long mission away… Both, most likely."

Laxus frowned at this. "Erza?"

She shrugged. "Erza will kick his ass behind my back, sure… But she'll hear me out and won't hurt him right away. She'll keep him away from me and she'll probably take a mission with me, too."

"Why not call one of us?" Bickslow offered. "You have our numbers. We'll do the same, and you won't have to explain the sticky situation to someone who doesn't know about it."

Lucy entwined her fingers in Wendy's deep indigo hair again, getting a near inaudible purr from the lass. "I have… Do I have all of you guys' numbers?"

"You definitely have mine," Ever nodded.

Freed shrugged. "I've personally never used mine much, but you called _me_ when you were reforming the guild. I'm fairly certain you have mine, still."

Bickslow nodded and stuck his tongue out. "You have mine, 'cause you called me looking for Hot Mama a few weeks ago."

Thinking back, she _did_ have their numbers. She and Ever had one another's numbers for planning girl's nights, and Mira gave her Bickslow's number when she was looking for Lisanna and the damned takeover mage wasn't answering her own comm. Her brown eyes then went to Laxus, unsure if she had his or not. He pulled the rectangular communication lacrima out of his pocket and passed it to her.

"You don't have mine."

She looked down at his hand and the comm offered out towards her. She smiled softly and nodded, taking it from him long enough to put her number in it. Then, she took another measure to send herself a text, so she then had Laxus' number as well. Finally, she handed it back to the lightning mage. "Thanks, Laxus."

He blinked, almost looking shocked, yet she didn't know why. Maybe because she called him his name instead of Sparky? No, that doesn't make sense, she hadn't been calling him that for long. Maybe it was her smile?

"Don't worry about it," he finally said with a nod. "I'm pretty sure I can keep that matchstick from you. He hasn't beat me yet."

"Which is surprising," Lucy said. "I'm not discrediting you at all, but after Alvarez, it looked like there was no end to his power and his magic. But you can still beat him?"

The slayer nodded. "Wendy and Bicks were both there. Natsu challenged me to a real battle a few weeks ago."

"You were out on the mission with the boar and the hog's head," Wendy informed.

Lucy tilted her head. "So you came out on top?"

"By a long shot," Wendy admitted. "Laxus has a large magic reservoir. Natsu may be super powerful, but it doesn't mean anything if you can't use magic for as long as your opponent can. Combine that with his speed to dodge and wear Natsu out, his durability and his own strength? It was hard for Natsu to get even a few hits in."

"Damn," Lucy whistled.

Freed leaned forward just a bit. "So you can tell the sizes of magic containers?"

She nodded from her position on Lucy's lap. "Yeah, I have to check it regularly when I'm healing people."

"Who, that you know of, has the largest reservoir?" The curiosity in those turquoise eyes spoke the levels that his tone of voice didn't.

Wendy thought about that for a moment. "Overall, Lucy does. But Lucy has her second origin unlocked, too. If Bickslow or Cana unlocked theirs, they'd give her a run for her money."

Lucy scoffed at that. "You're being too kind."

The lass smacked her sister's leg. "Hush, stop that. You really do. Celestial magic has a severe strain on the magic containers, since the entire time your spirits are here, you're feeding them magic and holding that gate open. You and Yukino have the largest containers I've seen. Bickslow is similar, as he's constantly feeding magic to his babies, and Cana's not aware of the fact that every time she does a reading it expands her magic."

Evergreen's brows narrowed. "But what about Erza or Mira or Gildarts?"

The young lass sighed a bit. "It's a difference in accuracy, precision and magic _type_. Just because one person has more base magic than another person doesn't make them stronger. Look at… Look at Romeo and Natsu. Even if Romeo and Natsu had the same size magic containers, Natsu's magic would naturally be stronger than Romeo's."

Wendy took a moment to sit up and stretch before she continued. "So Gildarts has subconsciously perfected what I call round-generation. He releases a very small amount of magic off of his skin, barely noticeable, at all times. This is constantly replenishing his containers. However, this is also making his skin hyper-aware of the properties of his magic. So even though Laxus has more _magic_ than Gildarts, Gildarts won't _feel_ the magic coming out unless it's super concentrated. He concentrates his magic so much that it makes up for the lack of overall magic by producing devastating effects with as little as possible."

Laxus thought over her words for a moment. "So what you're saying is that we'd be screwed if Gildarts had magic containers the size of Lucy's?"

"Exactly," the younger slayer agreed. "I haven't… Seen enough to actually say this with confidence, but from what I have seen… It looks like every magic type has advantages and disadvantages on the body. Laxus can sense weather patterns, his magic is extremely devastating, but after using magic for long periods or using too much magic, you take longer to recover your magic. Lucy can recover magic pretty quickly, use a lot of it and not feel much by the next day, but she's limited to holder magic and something seen as weak by a lot of people."

"Have you ever seen-"

" _Now arriving at Magnolia Station. Please begin gathering your belongings._ "

Lucy cursed.

Laxus eyed her warily.

The blondes tuned out the others, not minding that they were missing out on an explanation on Erza and comparing her to Bickslow. Everyone was gathering their bags and getting ready to go, but Laxus always packed light… And Virgo had Lucy's things. When the train came to a complete halt, Wendy and Freed now deep in a debate over the pro's and con's of certain magics, he noticed the way she took her time to stand and stretch.

He grabbed his bag after she started walking out of their cart.

She was kicking her feet, dragging along and taking her sweet ass time in even leaving the station. This wasn't lost on him, but she seemed so far in her own world that she didn't even notice him staring at her. He _knew_ she didn't know he was looking at her because when he tapped her shoulder, she jolted. Her wide, startled brown eyes looked up at him in a _way_.

A way that had his gut turning. A way that had his defenses falling. Those eyes were looking up at him with shock, yes, but he could have _sworn_ there was a little bit of relief upon seeing him. It had his emotions gathering in his throat, making it hard for him to talk. As with just about every other time they actually _looked_ at each other, there was a moment where they were trapped in their own little world. Like nothing else mattered.

He could have stayed that way forever.

Or, he could be a sane person and actually talk.

"Do you want me to follow you, just to be sure?" he offered.

She smiled and the world stopped. "No, don't worry about it. Thank you, though."

"I will worry about it," he huffed.

She giggled at him, and he mentally took down another point to himself. "No, uh, but…"

He tilted his head a smidge as she looked down at her feet.

"Could you… Could you maybe go to the guild first..? And look at the request board..? J-Just to be safe, of course…"

That's all? That wasn't anything to stutter about. He put his hand on her head and gave her a real smile, wanting nothing more than for her to be more comfortable around him. He relished, silently, in the very very faint blush that tinted her cheeks. "Not a problem. Call me, alright? Anytime you need, not just with this situation."

The blush deepened.

He wondered if he should test his luck and try to embarrass her further. Red was a good color on her.

Instead, she shook her head and the blush was gone. Laxus almost felt like pouting, but refrained. Lucy beamed a smile at him and nodded. She skipped ahead of him, looking back to wave- the smile never leaving her face. "Thanks Sparky! I will! Stay safe, alright?!"

Laxus was still rooted to the spot thirty seconds later, his heart still fluttering from the smile she gave _him_ of all people. He saw an older lady giggle at him and whisper something about young love to herself, and that's all it took for him to feel the need to _leave_.

* * *

Lucy flopped down on her bed, not minding the little bounce that happened afterward. She took to staring blankly at the ceiling above her for a little longer than she probably should have. Erza and Gray wouldn't be back from their mission until maybe sometimes next week, according to Juvia. No one could knock Lucy for not trying to make it easier on herself- she wanted the whole team there so she wouldn't be alone with Natsu.

One call to the water mage later had her cursing every deity in existence. They still weren't home. Now, Lucy just had to play the waiting game. It was obvious Natsu had already shown up- her portion of the reward was laying on her table, and _he_ paid her rent for this month. There were things missing from her fridge (though she _was_ thankful for that, since everything would have rotted by the time she got home), and new things were added there.

If Erza, Gray and Wendy weren't home, that left Levy, Lisanna, Cana and Natsu. Unless Natsu told anyone (which she highly doubted), all of that was done by her pyro partner. Were they even still partners? Shit, she didn't know. She didn't even know where that left the two of them… But she _did_ know that they wouldn't be taking any jobs alone for a long, long while. Did that mean they weren't partners anymore?

Lucy rolled over onto her side. Thinking back on the job with the Thunder Legion, she found herself questioning if she even wanted to go back to her main team or not. Maybe after she's had time to grow… In the same breath, she also knew that if Erza gave her that pouty look to tag along with them, she couldn't say no. A huff left her. There was no reason to say yes. After all, Erza was the one who kept Natsu and Gray in check and all three of them tried to keep her from fighting any major battles…

No, there _was_ a reason to tag along.

They were her family.

Still not comfortable on her bed, she stood and walked off to the kitchen. One good thing about the Alvarez incident was finally having enough of a reason to move out of her old apartment. This one wasn't much different, but it did have a lot more room and space to it. Only the bathroom had a door to it, since its an open flat. To top it all off, her new landlord was totally okay with her making renovations to it as she saw fit, so long as she gave him ample warning first and let him okay it.

Once in the kitchen, she looked to her ceiling and smiled up at constellation Pyxis.

She rummaged around in her fridge and pulled out enough ingredients for a simple smoothie. Maybe that would calm her nerves.

Nope, it sure wouldn't. As soon as she had her straw in the cup and was taking a drink of it, she heard that damned _voice_.

"Luce?"

Lucy's shoulders tensed and she turned to see her salmon haired partner leaning against the 'doorway' to the kitchen. In reality, it was a small portion of a wall that her stove and oven were on. Next to it was another small portion of wall that the sinks were on. Instead of looking between the two and seeing her living room area, she saw his face. Leaning so cockily against the panel-wall-thing there.

"You look a lot better… Did Wendy heal you?"

"Yeah," she admitted. Not knowing exactly what to do with her person, she shifted her weight from foot to foot and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "She got most everything."

"Most?" he asked. He still hadn't moved.

She nodded and lifted her black t-shirt up to just beneath her bust. The partially cauterized claw marks were still there. They were smaller, yes, but they were still there. "Because they'd already been partially cauterized, she couldn't completely fix it."

After she dropped the shirt back down, she noticed the way his jaw was set and the very faint spark of anger in his eyes. "A-Anyway, I ended up joining the Thunder Legion on their job."

He blinked at the shift in conversation. His back straightened a bit. "Oh yeah? That's why you smell a bit like them.. What did you do?"

"Cleared out baby wyvern," she admitted as she walked around him to the living room. "Laxus and I managed to pull off a Unison Raid to take out the mother, too."

The way he scoffed made her feel like shit. "You know why he- … Fuck it, why are you dancing around me?"

She turned sharply at the first thing he said, her eyes narrowing at her partner. Laxus treated her like nothing less than a teammate, nothing less than a guild member, and fully believed in her. He trusted her judgement, asked for her opinion and her strategy, and held no arguments to it. Yet she could tell- _oh_ , she could _tell_ \- that Natsu was about to shit talk him. Not in her presence, he sure as fuck wasn't. Her eyes pierced through his, and she almost revelled in the way he squirmed nervously under her gaze.

"What were you about to say." It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

He rolled his eyes, trying to seem unaffected by her anger. "It's his problem, not mine. I shouldn't say anything on it-"

"Then _why_ ," she sneered and took a step closer to him, "didn't you think about that _before_ starting to say something? If it's _his_ problem, then it's not your fucking business!"

"Why are you defending him when I didn't even say anything?!" he leaned forward, the flames of anger flickering in his eyes.

She growled at him and his eyes widened faintly. She'd never growled before, but fuck it. It sounded dangerous to her own ears, so she'd roll with it. "Because unlike _someone_ , Laxus treated me with nothing but respect."

He cringed at that.

"Lucy, listen-"

"No!" She threw her right hand up exasperatedly, and had half a mind to put her smoothie down on the coffee table before she flung it across the room. "You _burned_ me on _purpose_ , Natsu! On purpose! What the fuck were you thinking?!"

"I didn't burn you! I was _trying_ to make you see what I was trying to say!" he shouted back, taking a daring step towards her. "But you wouldn't listen at all!"

"I wouldn't listen?" she asked incredulously. Her eyes rolled and her arms crossed under her bust. " _When we fight, you listen to me. You don't question it, you don't defy it, you listen_ ," she recounted. " _Be a good little girl and listen and you'll be safer_."

He very visibly flinched at her reminding him of his words.

But she wasn't stopping there. "Tell me why, if I wasn't listening… Tell me why every goddamn word you said has been eating me alive. Tell me why I can't look at myself in the fucking mirror without hearing your voice telling me that I can't fight. That I should roll over and act a dog and be _obedient_?"

"I never said that-"

"No, but you damn sure implied it."

He finally seemed to get a backbone at that. "I don't _imply_ anything, Luce. When you and I are on the field, you listen. You listen to Gray, to Erza, and to me."

Suddenly, Lucy was wishing Happy was there to try and interrupt them again.

Her eyes misted over, but she wasn't going to let the tears fall. God, she wanted to cry… Because the next words out of her mouth are set to change everything. "Then we're not partners anymore."

The shock on his face, the confusion and despair in his eyes, made Lucy want to take it back. Take it back and go back to how they used to be. When they trusted each other, when they fucked around and got in trouble together, when they were thick as thieves… But that wasn't happening. Would she throw herself out of a fourth story window and trust he's at the bottom now? No, no she wouldn't. In fact, she _was_ on the fourth story, and the flames now flickering on his hands made her want to jump out of the window to get _away_ from him.

"What?" he asked lowly.

This wasn't the Natsu she remembered.

Her eyes narrowed and she forced herself to turn her heartbreak into anger. "I can't trust you, Natsu!"

"What the fuck do you mean, you can't trust me?!" He reached for her, but she stepped just out of his reach. His eyes widened and he looked down at his hands, but then turned it on her. His upper lip curled up in a snarl. "You're _running_ from me?"

"Yes, yes I am! Because you'll fucking burn me again!" She stepped back again, trying to make sure she was out of his range.

He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't ever _burn_ you on purpose, Luce, you _know_ that!"

"But you did!" she shouted, tears now falling from her eyes. "You did! You burned my jaw and my arms both! And you weren't fucking sorry about it! You still aren't!"

His eyes widened marginally. "I burned… I burned you?"

She couldn't tell if he was playing a fool or if he was just so mad that he didn't realize he burned her. Either way, it was dangerous territory. If he was getting mad enough to not be aware of his magic, she didn't need to be around him. Especially not with how controlling he's gotten. Yes, she understood that he was just trying to keep everything he loved and cared about in his life safe, but he was going about it in the wrong way. Other people might _like_ to be damsels in distress, they might _like_ to have their every problem taken care of by a strong man…

But not Lucy.

She backed up further until her back hit the wall. This wasn't good. "You did. You burned me. You're trying to control me."

"And let me guess, Laxus saved you."

"That's none of your business."

"It is if you're suddenly saying we're not partners!" he shouted. "You don't like me controlling you but you'll let _him_ do it?!"

"He's not controlling me, Natsu! He never once said anything about dropping you or the team!"

"Apparently he put some shit in your head that you're listening to!"

"This has nothing to do with him! It's between you and me!" She didn't know if she was hysterical, crying because she was frustrated, or crying because she was scared. "He didn't put anything in-"

"This has more to do with Laxus than you're letting on!" He growled and started stalking towards her. "Why do you trust him so fucking much?! He made you fight your own guildmates, turned you to stone and said nasty stuff about you!"

"BECAUSE HE TRUSTED ME TO HELP THEM AND TO GET THEM OUT OF THAT JOB ALIVE!" She screamed back.

He stalked closer.

She ran to the other side of the apartment.

"Lucy, you don't _know_ Laxus or his motives!"

She saw it. The look in Natsu's onyx eyes. He was hiding something. He knew more than he was letting on. It seemed like everyone was hiding shit from her, lately. The mental conversation between Loke and Bickslow. The looks in Laxus' eyes that she couldn't place. Something was up and she didn't know what. It was frustrating, to say the least. Still crying, she glared even harsher at him.

"What are you hiding from me?"

He seemed startled at that. The flames on his hands disappeared. "It's not my place to tell you."

"Bullshit! You're accusing someone who respects me of shit you apparently know more about than I do! You're making it seem like it's his fucking fault when YOU were the one who burned me and made me feel like shit!" She stepped closer to him, but refused to take more than one step closer. "What's your fucking problem?!"

"My problem is that you're calling a quits on me and our team!"

"There's more to it than that!"

"AND I SAID IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO TELL YOU!" He shouted loud enough to shake the building.

Lucy still didn't care.

Her Lacrima started buzzing on her table. She didn't dare glance at it to see who was calling. Maybe a neighbor wanting to know what was going on. Maybe the landlord. Maybe even Master Makarov. She didn't know. She took a deep breath, trying to calm down and maybe stop crying. That wasn't happening any time soon, though. At least she could get her thoughts and, thus, this devolving conversation back on track. Or, at least, she hoped she could. Lucy didn't have the energy to keep going like this.

"Natsu," she breathed out. "Listen to me. We're not partners. I'm taking a break from the team. That's the bottom line."

He was on her faster than she could blink. One hand on either side of her head. She was pinned to the wall, his angry eyes narrowed down at her person. She could see he was struggling to not touch her, and it still scared the piss out of her. "I was your partner, not _him_. Take it out on me, fine. Don't bring Gray and Erza into this."

She flinched at his tone and squeezed her eyes shut. Then, she heard it.

The sound of a very, _very_ close lightning strike.

Natsu cursed, and Lucy knew it was because they both _felt_ the electricity in the air. The abnormal level of static that only surrounded one person. What they didn't know was that the landlord called the guild about a loud fight happening in her apartment.

Natsu was pulled away from her and when her teary eyes opened, all she saw was Evergreen's saddened face. Laxus was somewhere, but she didn't know where. The brunette pulled her into a tight hug.

"Come on, we'll go to my place and call Erza."

"N-No," she sniffled out. "Erza's… She's busy…"

Ever shook her head and helped the blonde stand. "She knows you better than I do, honey. She can help you calm down."

* * *

Two weeks.

Two weeks since then, and Lucy's only made it up to the guild three times.

Ever called Erza and let her know what had happened. Needless to say, Erza and Gray were back within four days after rushing through (yet still completing) their mission. The two made a point to visit their depressed teammate every day- sometimes together, sometimes only one at a time. Lucy assumed that where one visited, the other checked on Natsu.

The thought of her pink haired partner no longer made her chest hurt, but instead made her feel hollow. Natsu paid her rent and even filled her fridge for her, so she didn't have to worry about money for a while. Between the amount she had before their mission, her cut of their mission, and the cut the Thunder Tribe insisted she took from _their_ mission, Lucy was set for the month. With nothing forcing her out of bed, she spent nearly the entirety of the two weeks there. Just laying, staring at the ceiling.

Gray told her that Laxus beat the shit out of Natsu and Wendy refused to heal him.

She didn't even have the energy to call Wendy and ask her to actually heal him.

When her front door opened, she fully expected Erza or Gray to walk in, but was surprised to see Evergreen when she sat up. The woman had two grocery bags on her arm and locked the door behind her as she stepped in. Lucy tilted her head.

"I come bearing edible cookie dough, ice cream, hot cocoa mix, chocolate and marshmallows!" she announced.

Lucy couldn't help the smile that covered her features. It was probably the first _real_ smile she held in a long while. Carefully, she got up out of her bed and motioned to the couch for her and the fairy mage to sit on. The blonde plopped down on one end, her back against the arm of the couch, and the brunette sat opposite of her on the other end in the same way. Once comfortable, Ever began to unpack the bags. Two tubs of ice cream, six chocolate bars, two big bags of marshmallows, and two tubs of cookie dough.

"So, we're gonna talk."

Lucy sighed at that. "But-"

"Not about that problem first, we're gonna talk about other things first," the fairy mage quickly explained. Noting the wary look in Lucy's eyes, she continued. "I have news I want to share with you first, and I want to get an update from you about Gray and Erza."

Lucy reached out and grabbed a chocolate bar. "You have news?"

"I do! I don't have… Uh… I don't have many female friends… And I assumed you'd be okay with it-"

"Of course I am!" Lucy agreed with an eager nod. "Is this about a certain Strauss?"

The blush that lingered on her cheeks was adorable. "Maybe.. Hold on, I want cookie dough and I didn't grab spoons."

Lucy giggled as she ran off towards the kitchen. After opening the bar of chocolate, she took a big bite and groaned at the taste. Looking down at the unmarked bar, with no brand label on it, she blinked. "Ever! Is this from Joya?"

"Yeah," the brunette nodded as she padded back in with a spoon for herself and a spoon for Lucy. "I have a huge stash from the mission we took like… Three months ago?"

"Damn, you lucky bitch," Lucy joked.

Evergreen laughed and nodded, finally taking her shoes off as she hopped back onto the couch. Lucy watched the woman open a tub of cookie dough and shove her spoon into it quite aggressively. The blonde shook her head a bit and took another bite of chocolate.

"So," Ever began, looking up over the rim of her glasses at Lucy. "I have some… Pretty big news that I'm super excited for."

Lucy moved to sit criss-crossed and leaned forward. "Spill it, girl."

"Look," the brunette whispered and held her left hand out.

Lucy choked on her chocolate. "Woah, woah, he _proposed_?!"

She nodded excitedly and squealed in happiness. Lucy launched herself across the pile of food and squeezed the brunette in a tight hug. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

Evergreen sat back and smiled widely. "So with that comes another question… Will you be one of my bridesmaids?"

The celestial mage felt her eyes widen before she nodded enthusiastically. "O-Of course I will! Who all is going to be one?"

She waved her spoon around like a baton, though still nonchalant about it. "We're separating the men and the women. The men will be on Elfman's side and the women on mine. Laxus, Bicks and Freed are on his side and Mira and Lis are on mine."

Lucy nodded and smiled. "I'd love to be."

Ever smiled largely. "You'll be walking with Laxus."

The blonde tilted her head. "I thought he'd be the best man?"

"Nah," she waved her hand nonchalantly. "Mira is the maid of honor for Elf. Freed was the one who invited me into the tribe, and he essentially saved my ass from the streets. He's my best man."

Lucy felt a shiver race down her back at the aspect of walking down an aisle with the lightning Slayer. She wasn't sure if Natsu was right and he had ulterior motives or if he was just nice. Was he looking down on her or was he helping her up? She didn't know, and it made her head spin. Not to mention the weird feelings he invoked.

"I don't… I don't get him," Lucy admitted.

Ever blinked. "Freed?"

"No, Laxus."

The brunette smiled knowingly. The blonde wasn't sure what she thought she knew, but it creeped her out a bit. "...Why are you looking at me like that?"

To which she shrugged it off. "What don't you get about him?"

Lucy felt her face grow hot and decided to hide the blush she knew was there in her tub of ice cream. "I don't know," she admitted as she peeled the lid off and grabbed her spoon. "He's… Hard to figure out."

The older lass snorted. "Not really."

Lucy kept her eyes trained on the ice cream, even after getting a spoonful in her mouth. "It's just.. Sometimes when I look at him, I feel like everything else leaves. And when he looks at me, I… I guess I zone out or something…" It was Lucy's turn to stab her tub aggressively. "It's frustrating, but it's like I'm the only one feeling that way."

"So you feel about Laxus the way I feel about Elf."

Lucy's face turned bright red and a whimper left her throat. "No! No, I don't I just…" The image of his face when he was looking at the sky flashed to her mind. She felt her heart race. The way the moonlight shown perfectly to make his face seem as beautiful as possible. Her hand went over her heart. "Maybe I have a heart disorder that his constant electricity makes act up."

Evergreen barked out a laugh at that. "Oh come _on_ , Lucy! _You're_ the author here!"

The blonde shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, trying to sate the heat in her face. "Oh shu- up," she murmured out past the mouthful. She continued after swallowing what was there. "Besides, I don't _know_ him…"

Those words sounded strangely familiar.

Evergreen ate another bite of her cookie dough. "And?" She raised a brow at the blonde. "It's not like you _have_ to like him. You've got a crush. Take time to get to know him. Maybe it'll become something more."

Lucy sighed. It wasn't like she could just… Call him.

Well, she could.

But that would be weird.

Conversation quickly went elsewhere. Between stuffing their faces and gossiping, Lucy was surprised by how much better she felt. That was being filed away for a later date; feel better with junk food and girl time. It wasn't until they were both on their last bar of chocolate that things turned back to the Natsu card.

"So, hon, are you going to be coming back to the guild yet?"

Lucy sighed. "I… Don't really want to… But I need to do _something_ …"

Ever kicked Lucy's shin lightly from her position on the couch. "Why not take a mission?"

Blonde brows furrowed a bit.

"You know," the brunette continued, "that way you're out of the house, the Natsu issue is off of your mind _and_ you're _doing_ something. One to two people- take someone you trust."

"...Do you think Laxus would go with me..?"

The words were out before she comprehended what had happened. Did she really trust Laxus? ...To an extent. Probably not completely. But Ever _did_ suggest spending more time with him…

"I _know_ he would," she nodded.

The brunette hadn't once brought up that it was Laxus who asked her to come over. Evergreen had planned on asking Lucy to be one of her bridesmaids anyway, but when Laxus told her that Lucy hadn't been coming in much… When he _openly admitted_ to being worried about her… The fairy mage just couldn't say no. If Lucy called at three in the morning and asked him for anything, Ever was _certain_ he'd be at her doorstep as soon as she could blink.

Lucy looked down at her toes and bit her lower lip. "I think I'll call and ask him, then.."

"Do it," the brunette nudged her enthusiastically. "Call him while I'm here. So you have someone to fall back on, of course."

Lucy rolled her eyes… But couldn't say no. She _wanted_ someone here for her, and Ever was offering, so… In thirty seconds, she had pulled her comm out and looked blankly at it. It took a minute of her mind racing before she looked up at the fairy mage worriedly. "I have no clue what's on the missionboard. What do I do?"

"Have him look for one for you two, duh."

Oh yeah, she could do that.

Ten more seconds. The comm was ringing- Lucy had put it on speaker. While only Lucy would be able to see Laxus when he answered, Ever could hear everything. The brunette wiggled on the couch in excitement.

" _Lucy?"_ His voice seemed incredulous, but his eyes seemed worried. " _Are you okay? How are you feeling?"_

Lucy's heart jumped. With her free hand, she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. He was worried about her, so much that the questions rushed out of his mouth as though they were a part of the same sentence. Natsu _had_ to be wrong… Right? Nobody who cared this much would have ulterior motives…

"I'm fine now, thanks to Ever. I was just… I have a question," she finally managed to get out.

His head tilted slightly.

She _almost_ blushed at how cutely innocent the action seemed.

 _"What's up? What'd you need?"_

Lucy looked away from the comm, her eyes wandering around her apartment. There was no way she'd be able to look him in the eye- through comm facetime or not- while asking. "Um… Did… Are you okay with maybe taking a job with me..?"

Silence.

The silence ate at her gut and made her a little nauseous. _What if he said no_ -

 _"As in just you and me?"_ His voice was barely above a whisper. Her eyes turned back to the comm and she noticed the faint pink dusting his cheeks. Gods, even blushing, the man looked almost _too_ attractive.

She finally nodded in agreement. "If that's okay, that is."

He blinked twice before nodding aggressively. _"Yes! Yes, that sounds fine. Uh. Did you have any ideas, or…"_

At that, she shook her head. "No, I haven't been in the guild in a while. I have no idea what's on the request board."

Laxus nodded and looked down at what she assumed to be his desk. _"Okay, so… The ones that came in today look like a monster hunt, a security job, an animal rescue… Let me check the S-Class ones we got in this week…"_ He bent down, bringing his comm with him in one hand so she didn't have to stare at a wall.

She took a breath to tell him not to worry about pay, but his entire being froze.

When he lifted back up and sat a little folder down, he looked at the screen intently. It made her gulp, and made goosebumps rise to her flesh at just how… How… How _fierce_ he looked.

 _"So, let me offer this one. I know you hate being reminded of your high class life,"_ he started and she already knew she'd be turning this one down. _"But there's an escort job. One week, travel alongside the carriage, get Ella de Metria and her fiance Kuren von Fritz to their marriage safely."_

"Ella girl is getting married, huh…" Lucy remembered when the young lass was so awkward and shy in her youth, being about three years younger than the blonde. That would put her, now, around four years older than the celestial mage. Boy, how the tables have turned. Ella was once so clueless and looking to the blonde for a role model, yet now Lucy's the one who's apparently clueless about her own crushes and Ella is getting married.

Not that Lucy had a crush, of course.

That's what this mission was being used to determine, after all.

"Still, I-"

 _"Hold on,"_ Laxus prompted. _"It's the reward I think you'll like. Seven hundred grand in jewel, and two silver keys."_

Lucy's eyes widened, the very thought of having two new friends to her ever-growing list of family members making her all the more excited. A smile started to make her face split in two. Now, it seemed that instead of thinking about corsets and controlled conversations, Lucy was thinking about catching up with the lass and gaining two new friends along the way.

"That sounds perfect," she finally rushed out. Her eyes were twinkling in sheer excitement now.

It looked like he gulped, but she wasn't sure. She barely noticed the _very_ faint pink returning to his cheeks, too. _"Uh, there is a bit of a catch, though…"_

"What's that?" she asked.

 _"We have to act like we're their long time friends- though with you apparently knowing Ella, it won't be an act… And we'd need to act like we're engaged."_

Lucy rolled her eyes and shrugged dramatically. "And?"

Laxus blinked at this. He seemed _incredibly_ dumbfounded.

The blonde lass continued to clear up his confusion. "High class engagements typically don't hang all over one another, nor do they typically do more than walk beside each other in public. It wouldn't be too far off from how we are now. All we'd need is fake rings."

He took a minute or two but nodded nonetheless. _"Let's meet up for dinner tomorrow. I'll call the de Metria family tomorrow and let them know we've accepted the job, and at dinner we'll go over everything."_

Lucy blushed heavily but nodded in agreement. A shy smile lifted the corners of her mouth. "Alright. What time?"

He looked around his office. She could tell he was trying to keep from looking at the screen. _"Let's say seven. I'll take you out to a hole-in-the-wall restaurant I found."_

Lucy giggled a bit and nodded, not really figuring out what was going on. "Alright. I'm gonna get off of here. I'll see you tomorrow at seven."

 _"Yeah… Sleep well, Lucy."_

"You too, Laxus. Don't overwork yourself."

 _"I'll try not to."_

It was three seconds- three long seconds- after the end call tone sounded that Ever squealed excitedly. She leaned towards the blonde on the couch, her smile excruciatingly large. "I can't believe he asked you on a date!"

Lucy blinked and tilted her head. "He did? When?"

Ever pulled back, but her smile never wavered. "Oh, honey… You really are oblivious…"

The celestial mage pouted. "I am not… He just said that we'd talk about the mission… At dinner… A-And… He was taking me out… Oh god, he did."

The brunette laughed and shook her head. "You're so cute."

"What am I gonna do, Ever?" Though that question was already asked, another came barrelling out of her mouth before she could process the thought. "What am I gonna _wear_?"

Ever smirked and nudged the blonde with her elbow. "Virgo always gets you the cutest dresses. Can't you ask her for one?"

Lucy sighed and nodded. "Oh no… Tomorrow's gonna be a little much, isn't it..?"


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note;**_ _Aright, work is really starting to kill me from the inside out. I'ma tryin' to get as much of this written as soon as I can, but sometimes it gets a bit hard when you're putting in near 60 hours a week. I'm trying, though! Don't count me out yet! AAAAANYWAY!_

 _So, uh, here's this._

 _Tell me what you think of it and such (;_

 _I really don't have a helluva whole lot to say about this chapter. I think it speaks for itself. c;_

* * *

Virgo never disappointed, that was certain.

Laxus had given Lucy a call around five, letting her know he'd be swinging by her apartment to pick her up at seven- as planned. While no, he didn't _need_ to remind her like that… He also kind of did. The lass spent so much of the day fretting and worrying about this… This… Not date, nope. It isn't a date. Not at all… That she'd completely forgotten to watch the clock. Yet, to her utter astonishment, in two hours time she was looking like an absolute bombshell.

She'd called Virgo out the _second_ she was off the comm with him, letting her maid spirit know that this was her first date and she wanted a dress from her family for it. The pink haired spirit was excited about it. Another call to Cancer, as well, had Lucy standing in front of her closet mirror checking herself out.

Her dress was very dark, a near black shade, yet on the planes of the dress where the light hit, it shifted to a near indigo color. All of the hems were done in golden thread, but it didn't stand out like crazy. Just right amount of pizzazz without being over the top. It only had one sleeve, the left one that went down to her elbow, and even though it wasn't supported by a strap on the right it still held up very well. The fabric _seemed_ bundled at her hips, but it was nothing more than a optical illusion created in the seams of the dress. The skirt, much like the rest of it, was tight against her skin, though it only came to her mid thigh. Beneath that, she wore some pantyhose to give her the boosted look to her legs. And on her feet were a pair of black ankle boots with gold chains on them.

Not too high of a heel to make her feet cramp, and the heel was rather thick unlike the ever-impractical stiletto. Her right wrist had a gold bracelet on it. Though her attire was top notch, as expected of Virgo, her hair and face took Lucy from a solid ten to a solid twelve.

Her long hair was tousled, cascading in thick blonde waves down to her ass. Her makeup was minimal: black cat wing eyeliner, black mascara and ruby red lips. While she didn't think red went with the subtle blue vibe of her dress, Cancer said it was a cool toned red. More vibrant, more truly red, and apparently fits like a dream. Because hot damn, it made her pouty lips pop more without being absolutely obnoxious.

Thunder sounded.

Lightning cracked.

There was a knock at the door.

Lucy smiled and grabbed her clutch purse that held her keys. She sent a silent thanks to Virgo and Cancer and a silent plea to Loke to watch her back. Gods, she was nervous. Laxus knocked again and Lucy finally yelled a " _coming!_ " to sate his impatient ass.

She paused at the door, her hand on the knob. After a twenty second long mental pep talk, she yanked the door open and smiled up at him shyly. His face _instantly_ fell from a smirk. His jaw fell a bit, his eyes widened as they moved over her appearance and his brows went up.

Well, while she wasn't nervous about how she looked anymore, she _was_ concerned about his lack of speech.

"Earthland to Laxus? You may want to shut your mouth… Or you'll catch flies."

He blinked and snorted at that. "Sorry… You just… You look gorgeous."

She blushed but shrugged. "My family has my back. Anyway, you're not looking so shabby yourself."

No joking there. The lass didn't know how the hell he had time to run home and change, but she was damned grateful for it. A pair of black slacks, a dark blue dress shirt hemmed in gold, and a black vest over it. The sleeves of the dress shirt were rolled up just above his elbows, and while the vest reminded her of a bartender's, he still rocked it like nobody she's known before. It had to be a crime to look that damned good without much effort. Yet here _she_ was, having spent two damn hours on her appearance.

"Thanks," he said and pulled her away from her thoughts. His arm went out, offered for her to take. "Let's get going."

"Sounds good," she nodded and placed her right hand in the crook of his arm. With her left, she shut and locked the door behind them. Once that was said and done, and the two were climbing down the stairs, she finally managed to ask "where exactly are we going?"

"It's a little mom and pop place about a fifteen minutes to walk from here." His eyes tried to stay on the path in front of them. Tried. "It's Havona food."

She blinked and turned sharply to look at his face. "You're joking, right..? We have a Havona Restaurant _this close_ that I didn't know about?!"

He chuckled and she noticed some tension leave his shoulders. "I'm glad you like the idea. It's a little pricey, though, but let me tell ya. They make a _mean_ seafood garbage plate."

Her brown eyes narrowed playfully at him. "Okay, mister apparent psychic, tell me more about my favorite dish."

He smirked down at her and she saw even more of that unknown tension leave. "Well, they use shrimp for the 'meat' sauce and you can choose between the tilapia and the salmon for the patty. I personally think the mac' salad has too much mayo, but the potatoes are bomb."

"Please tell me they have Rust Tea."

"They sure do."

"God, talk food to me more."

He barked a laugh at that and seemed so much less tense now. Lucy wasn't entirely sure if this was a good or a bad thing, but she'd roll with it for now.

"You _do_ know you can make Rust Tea at home, right?"

"What," Lucy said accusingly. He had _obviously_ kept this a secret from her for too long.

He nodded. "Thai tea leaves, boiling water and sweetened, condensed milk. That's all it is."

She blinked at that. "Really? I thought it would be like… Half and Half or some magical ingredient they had to shift existential planes to get a hold of."

He laughed freely and openly.

She decided that she liked the sound of his laughter.

They continued their walk, talking about the different Havona dishes they liked and why they liked them. The western style curry, the deep dish pizzas, the pulled pork… Earlier, the woman had thought she'd be too nervous to eat. Now, though, she couldn't wait to get her own seafood garbage plate. It was like they couldn't get there fast enough. Though when they _did_ get there, Lucy was surprised by the outward appearance of it.

It looked like a house.

Until you stepped inside.

Then, it was clear that you were in a restaurant. The waiting space for you to be seated, the western art on the walls surrounding the surprising amount of tables. It looked small on the outside, but there was so much room inside. The tables were lit by candle or a hanging lamp, giving it a low lighted yet semi-romantic vibe. Romantic enough for a date yet still professional enough for a business meeting. She was thoroughly surprised by Laxus' judgement on this. They _were_ here on business…. But if Ever was right, they were also here on a date.

The two were seated and ordered their drinks before the real conversation began. Lucy knew what she wanted, so she left Laxus to look at the menu while she spoke.

"So we're on a escort mission for the high class. We won't really need covers of any sort."

He looked up at her. "I would think I might…"

Lucy shook her head. "High class can mean a lot of things. I was in the lifestyle thanks to Father. He owned over half of the railroads around here, so we had the cash. There are others that are just born to prestigious names without fortune that will still be invited to high class events, people like the Royal Family who don't necessarily have wealth but have power, and there are even mages in high society." She waved a hand nonchalantly. "So neither of us need a cover."

He folded the menu back up and leaned forward. "Explain what's going on in that mind of yours?"

"Okay, let's spell it out. You're up for Sainthood, the grandson of the Guildmaster and next in line to be the strongest guild's Guildmaster. You're a very prominent figure in the wizarding world." Lucy paused long enough for them to get their drinks from the waitress and order their food before continuing. "I'm still of the Heartfilia name. We don't have the fortune anymore, but it's still a prominent and prestigious name. Two people of prestige by bloodline? It's well within the realm of marriages in high society."

He nodded slowly, taking in the information she passed along like a sponge. Though, yes he was paying attention to every word spoken, he couldn't peel his eyes away from her red lips. Every movement made his gut twist in a hopelessly pleasant way. Gods, red really _was_ her color. He cleared his throat. "So we're engaged. Anything behind that?"

She shrugged. "It's common knowledge that I ran away to join a guild. We don't need to fake anything at all. Maybe just add a few _romantic touches_ to our current lives to make it more plausible instead of just saying we were friends who fell in love, but we're otherwise just fine."

His head tilted at that. "...And why can't we be friends that fall in love?"

She blushed very, _very_ heavily at that question.

Laxus was getting addicted to seeing her with red anywhere on her person.

"B-Because.. Uh… So, high society doesn't really revolve around the concept of love. It's mostly arranged marriages. So if we're explaining it to people, we'd both need to answer how we know we're in love. Being an author, that isn't hard for me… But I just don't want you grilled on how you know it's _me_."

Laxus rolled his eyes. A thought sparked in the back of his mind, though. He could tell her _exactly_ how he felt about her and get it off his chest… But it would be disguised as him proving he knew what to say. Would that be worth it..? She'd most likely blush… Or stutter… Or look at him in _that way_ again. So yes, it was worth it. Despite how much it'll hurt to have his mate be so oblivious to the truth, it would still be worth it.

He grabbed her hand gently and brought it up to his lips to place a kiss to the back of her hand. Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he began. "I knew I loved you when I looked at you and saw nothing else. The world fell away and left only you for me to see. Your bright eyes, your stunning smile, the subtle way your hair swishes when you turn to look at me."

Her eyes widened.

He continued.

"I knew it was love when you plagued my dreams." He kissed the back of her hand again. "Dreams of a future together. With you. A home, curling up by the fireplace… Something as simple as doing the dishes together and throwing suds at each other became a desperate want, a wish."

The blush on her face intensified tenfold.

He mentally marked another point to himself.

"I _know_ that it's love," his eyes were still locked onto hers and like many times before, they were suddenly in their own world. "I _know_ it's love because I still look at you and my breath is stolen. You're all I see, all that matters. I don't see anything else. I see your beautiful brown eyes and everything else… It all melts away. I see _you_ and my heart races. I see _you_ and I can't think straight… Every single time I see _you_ , I fall in love all over again."

Her mouth was parted, her jaw only slightly slack. He could faintly hear her rapid heartbeat thundering away in her chest. She, on the other hand, was awestruck. There was that… That _look_ in his eyes that she still couldn't place. His words ignited something in her gut, making her feel nervous and slightly nauseous. Mostly like her stomach was lifting up into her throat. Her heart was already stuck in her throat, though, so there wasn't enough room for both organs. Was _this_ what _butterflies in your stomach_ felt like? She wasn't sure, but it was mildly uncomfortable. She _did_ feel like he was being honest…

Which was the weird part.

Lucy could usually tell between a lie and the truth very well. Cana called her an Empath, being able to absorb the feelings of the other person very well. While no, Lucy _didn't_ believe that, she also couldn't turn a blind eye to her track record. Either Laxus was a _dangerously_ good liar, or he was telling the truth.

For her own comfort, she filed that away to think about later.

"I… uh…"

Congratulations, Lucy, you can't make words.

Then he _smiled_ at her. No, it wasn't the first time he smiled at her, but it _was_ the first time she fully _saw_ how it brightened his face. She mentally noted that he truly _was_ dangerous. He could illicit strange feelings, his smile could bring peace to warring kingdoms, and his touch could ignite a fire without magic. Just his hand holding hers was sending shockwaves of static and lava up her arm and straight to some weird pit in her stomach. That little touch was warming her from the inside out. And, again, he didn't even seem phased.

Yet Laxus was thanking the gods that Lucy didn't have the same senses that he did. His heart was drumming even louder than hers. In Laxus-Vision 2.0, he could see the lingering hope in her bright brown eyes. The slight confusion. But most of all, he was right. She blushed, she stuttered, and the look she was giving him made his gut twist. He had to regain composure, before the silence went on _too_ long and it got so awkward it would be irreversible. So, he winked at her.

"I think I got it covered."

"Yeah… No joke…" she breathed out.

He mentally applauded himself for making her breathless with his words alone.

She cleared her throat and slowly pulled her hand back, the sudden coldness alarming her. "A-Anyway… We… We could definitely be friends that fell in love, then…" Her blush wasn't getting any better.

Unfortunately, now the seed was planted in her mind. Friends that fell in love?

"Here's the plan," he began. She was thankful, too, because now he was talking and getting her mind off of that _dangerous_ thought. "The von Fritz family hired mage help from both Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale to man the wedding and the reception. We meet them in Old Town tomorrow and escort them to Crocus. Once we meet up with Jura and Kagura, we pass the couple off to them. Jura may send Lyon instead, but we have to make sure we're passing them to Kagura at the very least."

He looked over towards the kitchen of the restaurant.

"They'll take them to the other side of Crocus and into Thistle. That's where the wedding is. They're paying for us to stay in the Mertian Hotel that night before heading home the next day."

Lucy nodded and followed his line of sight. A waiter was heading this way with two plates of food. "So, defensively, I have two spirits that won't mind walking with us. If I call only one out at a time instead of having both with us, there will be less drain on me."

Laxus hummed in thought. "...No. Only bring them out when we're going through sketchy areas. You need to be on your toes and with a mostly full magic container in case something _does_ happen."

She looked to him and nodded, neither saying another word as the waiter dropped their plates off to them. The very _look_ of her garbage plate made her stomach growl very loudly. The lightning mage smirked at the sound. She flipped him off. She asked for a small scoop of wasabi and some scampi sauce for the side when the waiter asked about anything else he could get them. Laxus only wanted a refill on his drink.

While Laxus started on his food, he noticed that Lucy waited for the things she asked for before dumping the whole damn scoop of _wasabi_ on the plate and pouring the scampi sauce all over it. Then, like a heathen, she mixed all portions of the plate together.

"Glad to know you know the proper way to eat it."

"Of course I do, what do you take me for? A dumb blonde?"

"You said it, not me," he teased.

"The sentiment works for you, too, Sparky. I'm not sure you've checked a mirror lately, but you happen to be blond too." She smirked and shoved a bite of food into her mouth.

While he adored the smirk, the teasing yet sultry way one side of her plush lips cocked up, it was her reaction to the food that made his insides _burn_. Her eyes rolled back and she groaned at the taste. He _knew_ it was because these people knew how to make Havona food correctly, but seeing Lucy like that… He had to force inappropriate thoughts away. When her brown eyes opened again, he couldn't help but notice the almost far-off look in her sparkling eyes. It was so much better than the dead look she had since the mission she joined them on.

"I take it you like the food?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "I don't get to eat food like this often. Erza and Gray are surprisingly picky."

His plate was simple; a sirloin steak that was cut, seasoned, marinated, and flame grilled the same way they did it in the West. On the side were weird looking, possibly fried, potato wedges. A thick, 'chef' salad was on a separate plate, as well as some steamed vegetables. The kinds you don't typically see in Ishgar, let alone Fiore. Not caring that Laxus was watching her like a hawk, Lucy slipped her fork into said vegetables and stole a pretty big bite.

He huffed. "You have a whole ass garbage plate and you want to steal _my_ food?"

She smiled cheekily at him.

He rolled his eyes.

Lucy took a scoop of her plate and offered it out on her fork to him. A faint amount of pink flushed to his cheeks, but he leaned forward and took the bite nonetheless. She fully expected him to take the fork from her, but he didn't. He just leaned forward and took it. She blushed at the action, too. Was he _trying_ to make this a date date?

Yes, yes he was.

"That's damn good," he commented with raised brows. "I thought the wasabi would make it too spicy."

"Nah," she replied, trying to force her blush down. "There's so much food on the plate that it makes an even spread without being too crazy. The scampi helps dull the spice while bringing out flavor, too."

"I can tell."

From there, the two ate and chatted about menial things. Music, movies, jobs they've been on, and so forth. Lacus paid the bill, but Lucy tipped their waiter. He then took to walking her home, where in he left her speechless at her doorstep by giving her a small kiss to her forehead.

She had to lean against her door to hold herself up.

* * *

The two took off early in the morning to meet up with their clients. The blonde lass was happy to reconnect with an old friend and spend some time with her, but otherwise, the mission itself was pretty boring and straight forward. She took Laxus' suggestion to call Virgo and Aries only when they were in sketchy areas, but nothing notable happened. Ella tried to convince them to stay for the wedding, but they couldn't. They had strict orders to leave the two with Jura and Kagura, who were waiting patiently for the engaged couple on the outskirts of Crocus.

It was nearing seven at night when they made it to the hotel. When they signed in, the receptionist passed them a bag and a box. The bag held their jewel reward, and Lucy could feel the familiar thrumming of the keys that were held in the box. The lightning mage did his best to keep her calm and collected until they reached their suite, even though she was practically bouncing off of the walls in excitement.

"How do you make a contract with them?"

She blinked and smiled sheepishly, remembering just how disinterested Natsu was in the process. "It's nothing special. It's essentially a big promise. They tell me their powers, if they have any, and what days they're available. I write it down and promise to abide by those days."

"That's it?" One of his thick brows were cocked up in question.

"That's it," she agreed. "It's not the most interesting."

He shook his head a bit. "No, it's actually very interesting."

She tilted her head.

"I never see you consult a book when summoning. You keep all that information in your head, as well as the spirit's power and their weaknesses." When he slipped the key into the lock, he opened the door and let her go in first. "You have all this information in your head, yet you don't have to think about it. You make split second decisions based on what you see the enemy doing and act accordingly. That's something most mages can't do so fast."

Lucy blushed very heavily at his praise. "O-Oh… um.. thanks?"

He looked into the room, noting that there was only one bed. "I'll take the couch tonight."

She tilted her head at the shift, turned around, looked at the couch, then huffed indignantly. "No, I am. You're too big to fit on it."

"Calling me fat?" He teased.

She laughed a little. "Maybe I am."

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, you're taking the bed."

"No, you are."

"You will or you won't get the keys."

She gasped and narrowed her eyes at him. "That's dirty."

"You wouldn't agree otherwise," he shrugged.

She huffed and crossed her arms under her bust. "Asshole. Gimme my friends, I'll take the damn bed."

He ruffled her hair a bit before handing her the box. "Do I get to be in here when you do it, or do I have to leave?"

Her smile was so bright he thought he might go blind. He'd be happy if he did, having seen that smile. "You can stay if you want."

He nodded and plopped down on the couch.

Lucy tore open the box with reckless abandon, her excitement growing so palpable that _he_ was getting excited _for her_.

"Ohmygosh, it's Cetus and Chamaeleon!"

He smiled at her.

She pulled the two keys out and picked up Cetus first. She took a stance, her feet shoulder width apart, and held the key out. "I call upon thee, in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon thee to my side at once. Pass through the gate. Open! Gate of the Sea Monster! Come, Cetus!"

Laxus could _feel_ the rather intense amount of magic she was expelling, though it didn't look like she was bothered by it one bit. In fact, it looked more like it was simply second nature to use so much magic. He blinked at this, recalling what Wendy had said about her magic containers. Maybe the little dragoness was right.

A silver magic circle showed itself at the end of the key and Lucy's eyes were glowing gold.

He was captured by her beauty.

Then, as summoned, a rather tall man stood about five yards away. He was pale, had deep blue hair and very strong and angled features. A strong jaw, a strong set of cheekbones, and a strong nose. His blue hair looked almost like Gray's, yet not as long nor as… Angsty looking, as Gray made it look. When his eyes opened, Laxus grew confused. There was no white to his eyes. Just straight, black depths. His shoulders we're square, his stance was confident. Yet almost like Sting had white dragon scales on him in Dragon Force, this spirit had fish like scales in a cobalt color on him, as well.

He looked to the blonde woman and bowed. "Master."

"Oh, nuh uh," she immediately scolded by wagging her finger at the spirit. He looked confused. "I'm not your master, I'm your _friend_ , Cetus."

He tilted his head a bit.

"I'm Lucy. I would like to make a contract with you, if that's okay."

The spirit took a step forward. "Lucy.. As in Princess Lucy?"

Her brows furrowed. "Oh please tell me Virgo and that dumb lion didn't spread that around…"

"It is you!"

She smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "I guess that's me, then…"

He bowed again, though she could tell it was out of respect instead of duty this time. "Every celestial spirit in the realm wishes to have you or Lady Yukino as our holders. It's a great honor you've obtained my key."

She laughed nervously again, her eyes quickly looking to Laxus to see that soft smile on his face. Her heart fluttered. She looked back to the spirit. "So what are your powers and what days are you available?"

"I specialize in water, poison and shadow magic. It's not as strong as, say, Aquarius' since she can hone her skills in one aspect and make it all the more devastating, but I can dabble. I'm good for DPS, I'm not the best wishes close range attacking. And I would like the weekends free if you don't mind."

Lucy nodded happily. "Of course! Will you be bothered if I'm in a sticky situation and call you on the weekend?"

"Of course not."

She smiled widely and hugged the spirit. "Thank you for joining my family. I'll need to call Chamaeleon now."

He paused but nodded. "Thank you for keeping our keys together, Princess."

She tilted her head.

The spirit blushed a bit. "She's… She's my girlfriend. We asked our previous holder to try and keep us together…"

Lucy giggled. "Of course. If I pass before I have kids, all of my keys go to Yukino, and if I do have kids, I'll make sure you're together."

"Thank you very much, Princess. I'll take leave now."

He left in a shimmer of sparkles.

"Sounds useful," Laxus commented. "Three separate types of magic? That's flexibility at it's finest. Respectful, too."

Lucy smiled warmly at him, happy that he seemed interested. "Yeah… Anyway, I'm gonna call Chamaeleon now."

He nodded, but didn't move otherwise. She slipped Cetus' key to the end of her keyring, so that when she added Chamaeleon's, they'd sit right next to one another.

The blonde then took care to pull the next silver key from the box. "I call upon thee, in the world of the celestial spirits. I beckon thee to my side at once. Pass through the gate. Open! Gate of the Changeling! Come, Chamaeleon!"

Again, Laxus couldn't help but note the amount of magic pouring from her and the golden glow to her brown eyes. The silver magic circle reappeared. This time, a woman appeared.

Her skin was a tad tanner than Bicklow's, but looked gorgeous and flawless. Her hair was white as snow, almost reminding Laxus of the Strauss siblings, but fell in perfectly straight tresses to the backs of her knees. She might have been three full inches taller than Lucy was. Her eyes were akin to Orga's- very pale in color but still a faint teal shade. The smile on her face was larger than life itself.

"Princess Lucy?" she asked.

Lucy huffed at that and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that's me…"

"Oh, I'm so happy! Cetus told me you're our new keyholder?"

The blonde nodded happily and offered her own megawatt smile. "Sure am! Anything I need to know?"

"You have Gemini, right?"

Lucy nodded.

"Okay, so I can do much the same transformations that Gemini can. The big difference is while theirs is a perfect transformation, I'm limited to women. I use less magic than Gemini does, so it will fully depend on your magic and the situation at hand. Umm… I think that's it? Oh, you can call me Cam, though! Chamaeleon is a little bit of a mouthful."

Lucy laughed at the spirit and nodded. "And the weekends off?"

The spirit blushed and nodded. "If you don't mind, Princess."

"I don't mind one bit. One last question; if I'm in a sticky situation and need help on a weekend, am I okay to summon you?"

"Of course!"

The blonde lass hugged her new spirit who, unlike her boyfriend, hugged back tightly. "Thank you for joining my family. I'll let you go be with Cetus for now, alright?"

"Thank you Princess! You're the best!"

And, much like her boyfriend, she vanished as well. Lucy hung the key on her ring, right next to Cetus', and clapped excitedly. Laxus chuckled at her childish antics but didn't really say much more than that.

He stood and walked around to the blonde. His hand twitched. She was curious about what he was going to do, but the general happiness she felt overcame any curiosity she might have had. Ignoring the warning bells sounding off in her head, she jumped at the lightning mage and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you so much, Laxus. This means a lot to me."

He seemed stiff and awkward at first, but eventually his arms wrapped around her as well. As soon as they did, she became hyper aware of him. "It's not a problem, Lucy."

His arms were thick, muscular. His hold was strong, yet gentle. It was loose enough for her to get out of the hug should she want to, yet tight enough to make her feel absolutely surrounded by him. He was tall, his chin now resting atop her head, and while nothing was said, nothing was _needed_ to be said. Lucy felt the stirrings, the rapid fire beating of her heart and the way he clouded her mind with his scent, his magic, his face… God, hugging the man she knew she was falling for might have been a mistake.

She pulled away slowly, shyly.

Her stomach growled and he laughed. "You relax. I'll run and grab dinner."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Got anything in mind?"

"Maybe a spicy ramen bowl? If you can find a place that makes them with chicken?"

He nodded. "Alright. I'll call you if I can't."

It wasn't but ten seconds later and the door was shut behind him. Lucy smiled giddily, but in a different way than getting her keys. This was something else that she didn't know how to specifically _deal with_ besides the overwhelming need to call someone about it. And she completely planned to. Lucy quickly called Virgo out for her things, the maid having sensed her eagerness and brought it with her the first trip.

A towel, a few candles, her bubble bath mix, a bath bomb, some wine and a change of clothes. Lucy smiled and asked Virgo to run the bath while she got her Lacrima comm. The maid spirit was eager to agree and when Lucy took off to find her comm, Virgo was already running her bath. It took the blonde a solid two minutes to find the damn thing, and before she even started heading for the bath, she was scrolling through her contact list.

There was Levy, an honest first call… But she wasn't sure how Levy would react. It being Laxus might throw her off… She'd be a later call. Maybe Yukino? Yuki was dating Orga, so she'd understand completely… But Lucy didn't know if she was back from that sick month mission or not. Mira would jump to conclusions. Cana would yell at her to tap that. Erza would refuse to let Lucy go on another mission with him. Lisanna would tell Bicks, who would tell Laxys, so no. If she called Juvia and talked about guys, she'd have to hear the water mage talk about Gray for several hours.

Her thumb hovered over Evergreen's name.

Perfect.

"Princess, your bath it drawn."

"Thank you Virgo! You're the best!"

The maid smiled faintly before disappearing.

Lucy ran into the bathroom, locked the door and stripped down. Another moment was used to clip her hair up on her head. Then, she was careful not to knock over any candles as she slunk down into the rather huge tub, her right arm holding the comm outside of the bath while she submerged herself. Once her chest was covered by bubbles and water, Lucy called Evergreen.

It didn't take long for the woman to answer.

The brunette seemed like she'd just got home from a jog- her hair in a high ponytail and, from what Lucy could tell, she was wearing an athletic top. "So… I wanna gossip and I think I have news."

The fairy mage's eyes sparkled. " _Oh yeah? What's going on?_ "

"The mission went off without a hitch. We cracked a few jokes, but otherwise stayed pretty professional. Ella's mom is just as paranoid now as she was when we were young. But like… The dinner."

" _The date."_

Lucy blushed, but nodded. "He's…? Kinda everything…?"

The brunette squealed and jumped back onto something that looked like a beanbag. " _What happened?! Where did he take you? Tell me everything!"_

The blonde blushed even heavier but nodded giddily nonetheless. "Okay so he took me to this little… House. It looked like a house on the outside, but on the inside was like… Romantic but also professional style Havona place."

" _Woah, wait, we have one in Magnolia?"_

"That's what I said! It's on the western outskirts. Not too far from the Town Square, though." Evergreen cursed but nodded and motioned for Lucy to continue. "So, uh… We talked about the mission and what our cover would be. We decided to be friends that fell in love-"

" _Fitting."_

The blonde huffed. "Hush."

Ever rolled her eyes. " _You hush, now keep going!"_

Lucy laughed. "But he did this thing where it was like he was pouring his heart out. You know those cliche 'I'm standing in the rain confessing out on your front lawn' scenes? Like that. All as though explaining why he loves me and how he knew he loved me to our clients. It… Confused me, because it didn't feel like he was lying…"

Ever pursed her lips but seemed _incredibly_ bright eyed about it. " _Well… Laxus hates liars. He just… Doesn't lie."_

Lucy's face _had_ to be the ripest tomato on the vine. "N-No…"

" _I'm not saying that was true, whatever he said,"_ she corrected. It wasn't okay to tell her that. " _He could have been acting… But_ I've _never known him to lie, anyway."_

The celestial mage could feel her heart in her throat and taste her own sheer embarrassment. "But…"

" _Lucy, honey, breathe. What else happened?"_

She finally shook it off a few moments later. "Oh, uh, here. I got two keys and he complimented my spirit and he just… He makes me feel _nice_. It's warm and confusing and a little frustrating, but it's warm."

Ever raised a brow. " _Okay but what_ else _? That alone wouldn't get that kind of a smile out of you._ "

She looked away, at the faucet to the bath. "He… He kissed my forehead after the date… And he just _held_ me. It wasn't a hug, 'cause it was too long and too… More… Than that, but yeah…."

The fairy mage snickered. " _You totally dig him."_

With little reluctance, Lucy nodded. "Is it bad…. Is it bad that I kind of want a chance to actually date him…?"

" _Pffft, hell no. It's absolutely amazing, actually!"_

She rolled her eyes at the excitement in the older woman. "I don't just dig him. I'm fairly positive I'm just… Falling. Like he already threw my ass off the cliff and I'm free falling to Target Laxustown."

She barked a laugh so loud that she covered her hand with her mouth soon after. Ever looked over her shoulder as though someone could have heard her, and carefully inhaled. " _God, you're terrible."_

The blonde shrugged.

" _But, like, seriously? You already think that?"_

She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I know that."

Ever whistled. " _...Not to compare, but I'm telling you. That's like me and Elf."_

Lucy blushed again. "I don't know what to _do_ , Ever. I've never had a boyfriend, and the closest person that came to being my first crush was Natsu- and even then, he still _wasn't_ my crush!"

The fairy mage looked shocked. " _...He's your_ _ **first crush**_ _?!"_

She nodded sheepishly.

" _How the fuck?!"_

"I never had time to worry about boys, okay?! I was an heiress and then I ran away and then it was one huge Fairy Tail centric bullshit storm happening right after another. I just… Didn't have _time_ …"

Ever sighed but smiled wisely. " _The best advice I can give you, the advice I wish I had told myself years ago, is to just be yourself. Be yourself, follow your heart, and fall as free as you want to. Someone will always be there to catch you, and sometimes, the person who catches you isn't the person you thought it would be."_

The blonde took a deep breath and nodded. "So I'm just overreacting like a drama queen?"

" _Pretty much. But all girls are, especially when they have crushes."_

The blonde nodded and asked about Evergreen's day. The two were in the middle of discussing the pro's and con's of doing squats when her phone beeped green, Laxus' name showing at the bottom of the screen.

"Shit, hold on, that's Laxus."

" _Oooooh, put me on hold, I can wait~"_

The blonde rolled her eyes but switched over to Laxus' face with a smile. Though she _did_ tilt her head in utter confusion when his cheeks got pink. And considering she'd only ever seen him _very_ faintly blush, this meant something _big_ had happened.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He cleared his throat, nodded, and stuttered out " _Are you… Wait… Bubbles… Are you in the bath?"_

She looked down, finally remembering that she was- indeed- in the tub. Her face grew hotter and she nodded. "Yeah, I was talking to Ever on the other line. Talkin' bout her and Elf." It wasn't a _complete_ lie. She just… Chose to leave out the part where she had talked about him. And how she felt about him. And how quickly he was changing her mind. Nope. He didn't need to know about any of that.

He shook his head and refused to look down at the screen. Instead, he looked off in the distance. " _So the ramen stand only does spicy in pork."_

"Well fuck my life," she sighed dramatically.

He chuckled at that, and she grinned at being able to make him do something like that so often. It was rare he did it in the guild, after all. " _There's a burger joint, a steakhouse and a hibachi grill around here. What sounds best?"_

"Ooooh, some maki sounds _lovely_ ," she replied excitedly. "Shrimp tempura rolls, some stir fry and rice… Maybe egg drop soup…"

" _You're a food junkie, aren't you?"_

"A little bit. My years being on the Team made me become one."

" _Fair point. So appetizer of egg drop soup, stir fry and rice, and shrimp tempura rolls on the side?"_ he recounted.

She nodded. "If you don't mind. I'll pay you back when you get back."

" _Don't worry about it, I've got it covered,"_ he deadpanned.

She growled.

He looked to the screen with wide eyes, though there was something in his surprised look… A burning behind his eyes… That made a warmth spread from her gut to her thighs.

"You spotted dinner last time, let me do it this time."

" _Nuh uh,"_ he childishly argued, " _I'm doing it."_

"You sound like a child!"

He gave her a wolfish grin. " _I'm the farthest thing from one, babe."_

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree, bright bold and red. "I'm paying you back."

" _No you're not. I'm getting food. Go talk to Ever and put some clothes on."_

He hung up.

Not realizing she was already back on the call with the brunette lass, she growled out a "You absolute fucking ass!"

The woman was startled and blinked in confusion. " _Uh… What?"_

Lucy shook her head to dismiss it. "Don't worry about it. Laxus is being an ass."

" _Uh oh. What'd he do this time?"_

"He won't let me spot for dinner."

Ever laughed heartily at that. Again, conversation drifted from subject to subject with abandon. Lucy poured herself a glass (or two) of wine and sipped the sweet red brew slowly while having fun and talking her heart out with a woman she'd never thought of doing this with. Still yet, the two got along and understood one another very very well. It was a weird chemistry that just locked on and _worked_. It reminded her of how she was with Yukino. Yes, they had similar magic and similar feelings about said magic, but outside of that?

There was just a way that she clicked with the two. There was no other way to put it, really. Once the blonde began to feel all pruney and gross, she said her farewells and decided to finish up her bath. She blew out her candles, finished her glass, washed up and pulled the plug. Lucy was quick to get dressed, too. A pair of black short shorts, a yellow tank top and a scrunchie on her wrist to put her hair up with once it dried.

She was walking out of the bathroom, her hands in a towel and drying her hair as she walked, when she felt it. The heat. It had gotten substantially hotter since she had gone into the bathroom. Her brows furrowed in confusion and she padded over to the thermostat. It was, apparently, nearing summertime temperatures _inside the air conditioned room_. That made no sense. At all.

An uneasy feeling settled in her gut.

The room started rumbling and a large _boom_ sounded. Screams, something crumbling, something snapping. The entire _building_ shook, reminding her of the horrors of an earthquake. The lacrima lights were flickering, the walls were _vibrating_ , and the sound of bricks tumbling down was heard loud and clear even through the closed door. She ran to said door and flung it open, only to see that there was a massive hole in the floor where the highest flames were now reaching to.

Someone, in the far off, screamed about a bomb.

Lucy felt her eyes water, but she pushed it back.

This felt familiar. This felt like a bad, _bad_ case of deja vu.

This felt like Jackal.

Like Tartaros.

It wasn't, though. He was dead- gone- with the book lost. There was no summoner in their _right_ mind that would resummon a demon as powerful as he. Besides, the demon's bombs set off with exceptional power and force. This felt more condensed. More concentrated. Less magical.

The flames creeped across the carpet.

Something else exploded- something like a can of hairspray- and the flames grew higher. But she couldn't move.

This wasn't good. The flames were licking her ankles, riding higher and higher up the tall building. It made no sense to the blonde. Ella wasn't attacked, but instead, Laxus and Lucy were? No, not even that. Whoever set off the bomb had waited until Laxus _left_ the hotel. Still, being on the sixth story of a burning building spelled disaster. Was it Lucy they were after? She'd been taken hostage too many times to count. Maybe it was…

Another explosion sounded and it reminded her way too much of Jackal.

She had to duck, to stand her ground against the shockwave of air it sent off. It was closer, the sound of crumbling brick very loud and very distinct now. Screams, shouts, and echoes of sirens could be heard clearly now. She turned around to see the entire back wall of the room had been blown to smithereens. The floor, without proper support, was starting to cave in. The blonde ran over to the bed and grabbed the purse her more important belongings were in, hell-bent on getting her keys and getting help for herself. But another explosion sounded off. The building rumbled again, and this time, she could _feel_ it collapsing.

 _Would you throw yourself out a fourth story window and hope just he's there to catch you now?_

No. No, she wouldn't.

Lucy ran, full speed, at the gaping hole where the back wall once stood. She didn't have _time_ to call out a spirit or fumble with her keys. Not caring about the slight burning at her bare feet nor the smell of burnt hair that was most likely coming from her own blonde locks, she threw herself over the side and into the air.

" _LAXUS!_ "

She wouldn't do it for Natsu, but her heart decided she _would_ throw herself out of a sixth story window for Laxus.

Lightning cracked, but it didn't sound like the usual teleporting thing he did. It wasn't like she cared, though. Less than a second after the sound was heard, she was slammed into a chest mid-air. It jostled her entire body, the sudden movement nearly giving her whiplash, but she knew she was safe. Looking up as he roughly landed on his feet, Laxus was looking down at her with that same damned look in his eyes that made her stomach churn and her entire world tilt off its axis.

They didn't have to say anything. He knew she trusted him with her life, and she witnessed that he'd be there for her no matter where he previously was to catch her when she fell. Which was a good thing, considering she knew now that she was falling horribly. Laxus wasn't taking Natsu's place in her life, he was carving his own place to stand… And she knew now that she was falling, so hard, for his stupid face.

Lucy didn't think this was what Ever meant by falling as feely as she liked.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note** : Ahaha! Another chapter (finally)! Work is still killing me, yeah, but boy am I _trying _._

 _As an answer to 17 - I'm still definitely working on A Mating Season Love Spell. So, I'll let you (and everyone reading this) in on my creative process of writing many stories. I'll have one story that I get HELLA muse on- in this case, it's this story. However, to prevent completely losing muse for the other stories I've got running, I'll be mapping and plotting and even writing on them in the background. Case in point: An Underground Romance, for example._

 _I have the next 3 chapters written for that- I have them done, down, and (for the most part) ready to post. However, I don't want to post until I **know** how it will end. That was one of those stories where I had a really good idea (well, what I thought was one), but I only had a vague idea of how it would end. It will, at most, be 7 chapters in total. I'm working on a lot of different chapters for A Mating Season Love Spell in the background because each of the next chapters will focus on a different pairing. So, I'll work on, say... Freed and Cobra's chapter one day because BOY do I know EXACTLY what to write... But the next day, maybe the ideas won't come as easy for that pairing- so I'll write for Rogue and Cana instead._

 _By hopping around and working on things as they come to me, it keeps me from getting into a rut with only one story and working on only one. This story is essentially writing itself. I don't have to **think**_ _so much for this one. So it's the one that's getting updated the most while I'm working on others in the background._

 _ANYWAY. Enough of my rambling._

 _I do have a question for you all, and it's been a debate I've been having with myself. The themes presented in this fic **are** worthy of an M rating. What do you guys think? Should I change the rating? And If I **do** change the rating, should I do a lil smut chapter in later chapters? I totally don't mind doing one, and in the same breath, I don't think this fic would fail without one. So I'll leave it up to you all and what YOU want. _

_I hope you like this chapter though! c;_

* * *

One important thing about that night was that it wasn't _just_ the hotel. Sure, two bombs went off there, but four other places were bombed as well. A shopping strip, a Joyan restaurant, a magic shop and- most importantly- the arena for the Games. It wasn't _just_ the hotel she was staying at, five whole places in Crocus were bombed.

Lucy sipped on her tea and flipped a page in the letter sent out to her.

The now-queen had wrote to her a very, very lengthy letter. The damned thing was near twelve separate pages, and each one was front and back. The Hungry Wolf Knights were working round the clock now, resecuring the castle in every aspect and sending aid to those who needed it. The letter started off as a thanks for her and Laxus' help on getting people out of the hotel after her risky leap of faith, then went on to say that it should be burned after reading it. At first, she was confused, but upon reading the insides, it became clear why.

She couldn't yet say anything until she and her team had been requested for a secret mission by the royal family. Until then, the information had to stay in the back of her mind. One leg crossed over the other and she leaned back, carefully reading every word written. It wasn't an attack on mages, but an attack on Crocus. There wasn't even enough information for Lucy to know _why_ , just that she should expect a secret mission. Until she kept reading, that is.

The final sentence shook her to her core.

 _Not again_ , she thought.

Her eyes went to her window, looking off at the tall guild building seen in the distance against the sunset. At least it wasn't her family in trouble. Still yet…

"Gemini," she called out airily.

The twins were quick to appear. "What's wrong, Princess? Piri."

"Are you okay, Lucy? Piri!"

She smiled sadly at them but nodded. "I can't say why… But can you turn to Natsu and burn this for me?" The blonde held out the stack of papers to the spirit.

"Of course, piri piri!" the two echoed.

They worked fast, knowing it hurt her heart to see his face. They transformed, burned the letter, ate the flames, then turned back to themselves. Lucy hugged them both tightly, as though she we're afraid of something.

Truly, she was.

But the two didn't mind, and just hugged her back.

"Tell Aquarius I love her, please..?"

They looked at one another but nodded. "We don't mean to pry, piri…"

"But are you _sure_ you're okay..? Piri."

She smiled sadly and shook her head. "The queen of the kingdom gave me secret information today in that letter. I can't say what it is, I hope you understand… I just.. I need you all to know I love you guys so dearly."

The twins hugged her tightly again. Well, as tight as their little bodies could. "Of course, piri! We'll tell everyone if you want, piri!"

"Only if you have time to, Gemi. Mini. I love you guys."

"We love you too! We'll let everyone know for you, piri piri!"

And they disappeared.

Lucy let out a breath, exaggerated and deep. Fear gripped her heart so tightly it was a _physical_ pain. She took one deep breath in, held it for a second or two, then let it out. It may not even come down to that. It may never happen. She just had to keep reminding herself of that and she'd be fine. Right? That's how it went. Fake it until you make it. Or, in this case, fake it until you _believe_ it. While she did manage to stave off a panic attack, Lucy found herself _craving_ for human interaction. It wasn't like she just got off of a hella long mission with Laxus three days ago or anything. She didn't feel like she _needed_ it… But memories circulated her mind from their mission.

Their occasional jokes. Their teasing remarks. It suddenly made her heart lurch and made her crave _him_. She wanted him to hug her, to hold her, to tell her everything would be alright. But she caught herself before she reached for her comm. What kind of request would that be? A weird one. _Hey, Laxus, can you come over and hold me and tell me that this fear of mine is gonna magically disappear without me telling you about it?_

Yeah. Right.

So, she bit her lower lip and pulled her hand back. She needed to work through it herself.

A little meditation wouldn't hurt.

Lucy padded over to the fuzzy white rug beneath her couch and sat criss-crossed on the rug covered floor. It took a second for her to clear her mind and close her eyes, but she needed to focus. If she did this right, the answer would come to her. Eventually. She just needed to actually _start_.

But it wasn't going to last.

Just as Lucy was in the middle of her meditation, in the deepest state of it, her comm started to ring.

She probably jumped five feet off the ground.

Lucy picked it up, answered, and scowled slightly at Laxus' attractive face. Wait. His dumb face. She meant his dumb face.

"You just scared the shit out of me."

He blinked. " _...I'm… Sorry?"_

Her brown eyes rolled and she eased herself to sit down on the couch this time. "It's fine, I was just meditating."

This made the man lean forward a bit. " _... Everything alright?"_

"Kind of. I was panicking over the letter I got from Her Majesty. She thanked us for getting everyone out of the hotel."

His eyes narrowed.

She knew it wouldn't slip by him.

" _If she wanted to thank us, she'd send one to Gramps. What's going on?"_

"...There were five places bombed that night. Non-magic, lead and gunpowder like a bullet, but hypersensitive and with a remote timer. I… Can't say much more than that, though."

His brows furrowed. " _That doesn't sound good."_

She nodded. "Yeah. I just… Needed to think of something else. Or figure a way to deal with it."

It looked like the blond man was walking, but everything around him was too dark for her to make out. " _Did you find your answer?"_

She paused and bit her lower lip. "...Yeah. I did."

" _I'm glad."_

There was an awkward silence. She cleared her throat. "So… What did _you_ want?"

He blushed a bit but smiled nonetheless. " _I just wanted to see you."_

There was a knock at her door.

Her eyes narrowed as he smirked and showed himself knocking on the screen.

"You butt."

" _I have a butt."_

"I'm aware of this."

" _Oh, you've been looking at my butt?"_

She blushed. "Not what I meant and you know it!"

He laughed and knocked again. She really _did_ like his laugh… It took her a second to stand up and go open the door, but when she did, she only then hung up their call. "What are you _doing_?" Wasn't she just craving his touch? Yes. Did she expect him to show up and that be a possibility? No.

He smiled devillishly. "I wanted to actually _see_ your place."

She rolled her eyes and stepped aside. He was courteous enough to remove his shoes on entry- unlike Ever- and she smiled. Hardwood floors of a deep mahogany color, dark blue walls and a starry sky with mapped out constellation chart on the ceiling made the place have a dark back setting. The all 'white' furniture made the soft eggshell color pop out more. Even her dark black yet sleek modern stylized side tables, dining table and chairs added to it. The lighting was low lit through lamp shades Lacrima hanging in long chords from the high ceiling.

He was honestly impressed.

"Looks great, Blondie."

She smiled warmly and his heart soared. "Thanks. I wanted something simple but stunning. Making a modern vibe wasn't too hard."

"It meshes well," he agreed with a nod.

She leaned against the couch and watched him wander around the apartment, smiling all the while. It wasn't until Laxus looked _up_ that he realized something. Something that should have been obvious before now. In the center, the very dead center of the ceiling, was constellation Aquarius. Yet, if this was supposed to be the most accurate, she would have a constellation closer to the north or south pole there. He didn't know a whole helluva lot about the stars, but he _did_ know that the zodiac weren't anywhere close to the center of other star charts.

He remembered what she said on the wyvern job and it made more sense. Still…

"Go on a walk with me."

She blinked at the abruptness of his statement. "...Okay? Why?"

He shrugged. "I want to talk is all."

Her brown eyes rolled. "And why can't we talk here?"

Laxus pointed to her ceiling. "I get that you like the stars. They're out tonight. I… Kinda figured you might want to walk under them."

Her heart pattered pitifully.

"Alright… Let me put on some shoes," she agreed.

Though he hadn't been inside for long, it felt like he had been there for hours. It was that stupid effect he had on her; time was warped, her heart felt ready to explode and everything else seemed to fall away. Nothing else mattered when he was around. He truly was dangerous, but the lass wasn't quite sure if it was because she liked him or because of another reason. Either way, she slipped a pair of comfortable flats on her feet and they headed out after he put his shoes back on, too.

Lucy had previously expected something like this to come with hand holding, but he made no move to do so. The hot summer offered little mercy to the mages with the sweltering temperatures. At night, though, it wasn't nearly as bad. There was a small breeze coming from the north that helped cool the two down a bit, but otherwise, it was far too hot. Even with Lucy only in a tanktop and shorts, it was _still_ too hot. She already missed the air conditioning her apartment offered.

Her eyes went towards the sky and she felt his eyes on her.

"I have a question for you," he said.

She brought her eyes down to his devilishly handsome face. "Yeah?"

Laxus cleared his throat and looked up to where she was previously looking. "I won't push you.. But.. What happened with Aquarius?"

Lucy's breath caught and her heart ached horribly. She wrapped her arms around her midriff and her eyes almost instantly met the ground. At least her bangs would cover the shame and the guilt she felt. "I… Really don't want to talk about it."

He nodded. "I figured."

They were silent for a while longer. The silence was a bit tense, but not too much so. They weren't paying attention to where exactly they were walking- all they did was just.. Walk. Being in one another's company was enough.

"Why?" Lucy finally asked.

He furrowed his brows. "Why what?"

"Why do you want to know?"

While she didn't straight out say what she wanted to, he could infer the unspoken question. _Why do you care?_ That was a little harder to answer without scaring her off by telling her about the whole mate thing.

A sigh let him. "It bothers you. It eats at you. We may not have been close before everything happened, but I clearly remember the.. The sparkle. The _life_ that used to fill your eyes no matter who you were talking to. You didn't have much confidence then, but that never hindered anything." He paused to glance at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was red faced. He wanted to smirk at that, but restrained himself. "You have more confidence now, but it's like a shadow's squashed what life was in your eyes back then."

Tears lined her brown eyes.

"Confidence and that happiness shouldn't be a trade off. They should go hand in hand. I thought talking about it would make you feel better."

"But _why_?"

He shrugged. "It's simple. You _are_ the light of Fairy Tail. _You_ are everything our stamp stands for. You forgave me when I couldn't look myself in the eyes, you give without thought of getting anything in return… If our light falls, we fall. I care about you, Lucy. I just.. I want to see you happy again."

The salty scent of tears hit his nose and he didn't know what was acceptable here. Should he hold her? How do people comfort others? This wasn't what he wanted, he wanted her to feel better- not worse! Panic rose to his chest, but it was quashed when she stepped into his chest. Her arms weakly wrapped around his waist, her face buried barely beneath his collar bone. This time, there was no hesitation when his arms wrapped around her.

She cried and cried.

His shirt was soaked by the time she finally stepped away. He didn't move his arms much, and let them travel down her arms. When his hand met hers, he was a little surprised when she entwined her fingers with his. She didn't want him to let go? He never would.

"Um…" Lucy cleared her throat. "Sorry… Sorry about that…"

Laxus gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Don't worry about it. If that's what you need, I'll let you soak all of my shirts."

A weak, watery laugh left her. Despite being weak, it was still a laugh. Bonus points!

She kicked the dirt with her foot idly, not knowing how to start.

Thinking she was still unsure about telling him, he made her an offer. "...If you want, I'll tell you something about my mother. I don't ever talk about her, so…"

The look in her eyes, that dim sparkle and that shimmer of hope, had him falling all over again. This little woman, this blonde little bombshell, had him wrapped so tightly around her little finger and she didn't even know it. He'd destroy the _moon_ for her- all she'd ever have to do is ask. His heart jumped to his throat, both from her eyes and from the slight nervousness at offering such a thing to her. There was a reason he never talked about his mother, after all.

"If you're okay with that… That sounds wonderful," she admitted.

He nodded his agreement as they walked onto a bridge. "Here, hop up."

She tilted her head, but still put one foot in the hand he held down low to the ground. If he caught her from that damned explosion, she could trust him not to drop her in the water. When both of her feet were in his hand, and most of her weight was shifted onto his opposite shoulder, he lifted her slowly and carefully to the edge. Only then did he remove his hand from hers. She stepped onto the stone rail and tilted her head again.

He joined her in a flash, taking a seat and patting the area next to him. Lucy smiled and carefully sat. She blushed a bit when he put his hand over hers, as though offering that as an apology for no longer holding her hand.

"So, uh," she started. Gods, she needed to get her mind off of him. "Tartaros."

A nod was his response. "I've been told a lot, but I missed a lot of it."

She bumped his shoulder with hers. He looked down to see her pouting and couldn't help but smile slightly. It was like she knew he'd start beating himself up again over that. Did she know that? She shouldn't. Nobody- not even his own team- had been told about the way he felt during that incident. Yet here she was, reading him as though he were an open book.

"You know about the Cube then, right?"

He nodded.

She sighed. "I was the only one not trapped in it's walls."

Storm blue eyes widened in shock. "Wait, what? Why you?"

To which she shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I was mid-air when the spell was cast. Maybe my magic forced it out. I'm… Still not sure. All I know is one second Natsu and Happy were right behind me and the next… They weren't. I was alone and there were demons closing in fast. It was the water shark thing guy, Jackal and the annoying rabbit looking girl."

Laxus' eyes immediately started looking between both her brown eyes and confusion set into the woman. "Jackal was the one who had the explosion curse."

She nodded slowly, still confused.

"Are you okay? Like… The hotel thing."

"Oh," she said, realization dawning on her.

"Is that the problem you had earlier?"

She shook her head no. "No, like I said, it was the letter that made me freak out. The demon's book is still lost- probably destroyed by now but who knows."

He lifted his hand to her cheek and tilted her head up to look at her critically. He was _so close_. Walking around at night just because he felt like it. Sitting on the rails of the bridge. Even though the topic was pretty disheartening, it was a pretty romantic setting. Suddenly hyper-aware of where they were and _him_ , she blushed something fierce. He was close enough to just lean in and- "Are you sure?"

She nodded weakly, not trusting her voice yet.

Laxus nodded and pulled back slowly.

 _Gods_ , he needed to _stop that_. Stop being so… So… Confusing!

Suddenly the sky was more interesting to her. She needed to _not_ look at him and _not_ pay attention to his dumb face and she'd make it through the night. "B-But anyway… They approached and I had two golden keys already out. Loke and Virgo were draining my magic containers- a lot. They were going all out, but they… They didn't stand a chance. _We_ didn't stand a chance…"

She took a shaky inhale and her hand flipped to grab his. She needed _some form_ of reassurance- even if it was from the most confusing man on Earthland. He gave her hand a little squeeze and that's all she needed. "It's… It's easy to hold two golden gates open. I can even do multiple different combinations of golden keys, but mostly only in pairs. Two… But I had no choice. I needed a third if I wanted to get out alive. If I wanted to help everyone, I had to force myself to open a third. So I chose… I…"

The tears were welling up again.

They wouldn't fall. She wouldn't let them. She'd cried enough.

The breath she took was shaky, but it was deep and a little steadying.

"I chose the spirit I trust most. My longest, dearest friend. I called Aquarius… It drained me so quickly to hold three keys open at once, I almost blacked out… I trusted her, though. But even she couldn't hold up to Torafuzar. So instead… Instead, she told me to summon the Celestial Spirit King. Stache Face doesn't have a key and only comes to this realm if it's absolutely dire… So summoning him comes with a hefty price."

He nodded, his thumb rubbing the back of her hand gently.

"It can only be done by a mage whose spirit trusts them just as much as they trust their spirit. She was the bitchiest, angriest, most nagging fish I'd ever met.. But I loved her so dearly. She told me to forcibly break her key. It would summon Stache Face and he could stop it…"

While Laxus didn't say anything, he still gave her hand another squeeze when he saw the way she squeezed her eyes shut.

"She was my first spirit… The first one I ever summoned…" Another shaky breath was taken by her. "S-So I broke her key. Stache Face showed up and he was the one who freed everyone from the cube… But I wasn't strong enough to keep him there. If I had been… If I had been, nobody would have had to fight… Nobody would have…"

Laxus let go of her hand. She almost whined about it, but his arm soon wrapped around her shoulders. He pulled her close to his chest and warmth flooded through her yet again. Her heart was aching, throbbing in the emotional hurt that felt like a knife piercing her chest, but he… Just holding her, he was able to soothe that ache. She wasn't sure if she liked this or hated it.

"When I broke her key, Aquarius gave me one last gift. A way to tap into her powers without needing to summon her… Her star dress. With that, I was able to kill Jackal.. But I still feel like I failed. I failed her, I failed Stache Face, I failed Fairy Tail…"

"You didn't fail anyone," he corrected.

She looked up at him, though she didn't move her head from his chest.

"You were the reason they were able to get out and fight again. That fight… That war made people grow in ways they should have grown years ago. It forced them to accept things they didn't want to accept- myself included. We needed to fight, we _needed_ to grow. The slayers… They wouldn't have gotten to see their parents again if you hadn't made that sacrifice."

Lucy looked down at her lap and nodded. "It's… It's just hard to see it that way."

He rested his chin atop her head, holding her just a bit tighter. "Trust me, I get it."

"Her key should have respawned last week," she commented, nuzzling a little closer into his hold.

He almost started fucking _purring_ when she did. Thankfully enough for his pride, Laxus had more restraint than that. "Oh yeah?"

"Mmm," she agreed. "It'll spawn anywhere in the world though… It could be at the bottom of the sea as far as I know."

"But there's hope. That's what matters."

She nodded again and sighed again. They were silent for a moment longer, just enjoying being as close as they were. "Thank you."

He moved his head to look down at her. "For what?"

"Listening to me… It really did make me feel better."

"Anytime, Blondie."

She elbowed his side as best as she could- which was nothing more than a harsh nudge- and stuck her tongue out at him. "Alright, _Sparky_. What about you?"

He tensed a bit.

She didn't know how to help him relax, but just… Nuzzled his shoulder again. Lucy was genuinely startled when it actually _worked_.

"Mom… There's nothing too special about this. You know my dad, shit, we all know how much of a piece of shit he is. But mom… Mom was an enigma to me."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." He lay his head on hers again. "I don't remember a whole lot of her but I remember her being so warm. She had a smile that could make the nastiest of scrapes not hurt anymore, a soft voice and a warm soul. I don't… I don't know why she was ever with dad."

Lucy moved her legs to be resting atop his. He didn't seem to mind at all.

"I killed her."

She jolted back, her eyes wide as she looked up at him. "Wh… What?"

He nodded sadly. "She was this angel but… When Ivan put the lacrima in, I didn't have control over it. She was trying to help me through another sick spell and I shocked her. I…"

Her hands went to his face this time, her eyes searching his. "That wasn't _your_ fault, Laxus… That wasn't _you_ though."

He sighed and leaned into her hands as much as he could. "It still feels like it. It was _my_ magic…"

"But you had that magic forced onto you, forced you to change, and gave you no time to learn to control it. That wasn't your fault, honey. It wasn't, and I'll tell you that every damned day of my life if that's what it takes."

He could see the resolve in her eyes. He could see that shimmer coming back. He could tell she didn't realize that she'd called him a pet name that made his inner dragon purr in delight. Laxus felt like he was in heaven in that very moment. She wasn't shying away from him, she wasn't freaking out or blushing, she was being assertive and in his face. She was virtually entangled with him. And, most importantly, she was looking at _him_. Her attention was on _him_. Not the front he usually put up.

He sighed. "Don't worry about it."

"I _will_ worry about it."

Laxus narrowed his eyes.

Lucy narrowed hers back.

The corner of his mouth twitched up and he found that he couldn't hold himself back. He _couldn't_ scare her away though. So instead of acting, like he wanted to, he spoke. "You're kind of beautiful when you're determined like that."

It was like a lightswitch with how fast her face turned red. "Shut up…"

"Absolutely not," he scolded. His nose settled on hers and he pressed their foreheads together. "You're beautiful and nothing you say will ever change my mind."

She squirmed a little. "...You're rude and embarrassing."

"Charming," he corrected.

She rolled her eyes. "More like infuriating."

They laughed about it for a moment. The male seemed to be pretty okay with how the conversation switched, but he didn't want to ruin it. He sat there, forehead against hers, and smiled. He nearly had a heart attack when she leaned forward oh so slowly… But was thankful he didn't immediately respond. She seemed to realize what she was doing soon after, and jerked away in a flash.

 _Damn._

"U-Uh…. I don't have my keys on me… S-So I don't know the time…"

He looked down at his arm and blanched. "...I forgot my watch today, too."

Lucy seemed to be recovering from her slip up pretty slowly. Her face, still a tomato, didn't seem to be cooling off at all. "It… May be best for us to head home."

He nodded and helped her down onto the bridge and _not_ in the water.

 _She wasn't ready yet._

Though his heart fell just a tad, he couldn't feel much lower. In fact, one could say he was walking on cloud nine. Just the bare moment when she leaned forward told him all he needed to know. She wanted him. She wanted to _kiss_ him. She just wasn't ready.

And for her, he'd wait until the end of time.

Once the two were headed back the way they came, he slipped his hand into hers again. "So, when are you going to actually return to the guild…?"

She bit her lower lip. "I'm not sure… I still don't want to face Natsu yet…"

He nodded. "Understandable."

Lucy went silent for a spell, only to nod to herself after a good two minutes.

"I think I'll invite the girls over later in the week. Reconnect with them first so they're not blind sighting me with questions."

"Solid plan." He nodded his approval. "So after that?"

"Probably a little while after that…" She nearly tripped over her own two feet, but Laxus held her up. She smiled at him in thanks. "I kind of want to take my time. Focus on me and my magic… My development."

He slipped his arm around her as they neared her apartment. "Can't fault you for that. Just don't be a stranger, alright?"

"I won't," she agreed. "Even if it's just calling, I won't. I just need some time to think and time to myself for once. Especially after that letter…"

He looked down at her, watching as she carefully opened the door. She needed to get in the habit of locking the damn thing. But, her words were a little more pressing. "...You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"I can't. Her Majesty told me to burn the letter after reading it. Nobody is supposed to know- not even me."

He nodded and she slipped out of his hold. Lucy stood in her doorway looking up at him, an emotion in her eyes he'd never seen. Gods, it didn't look like a good one, either. He just wanted to take her worry, her stress and her fears away from her. Keep her feeling safe and secure.

But he _couldn't_.

She wasn't ready.

So, instead, he caressed her cheek. "I'm only a call away, alright? You ever need help or just to talk… Or for company. I'm only a call away."

Her timid smile made his heart flutter again.

"Thank you… Goodnight, Laxus."

Quickly, he leaned down and placed a slow but gentle kiss to her cheek. He could _hear_ her heart excellerate. "Goodnight, Lucy." Then, he teleported off, leaving Lucy standing there with wide eyes, a heavy blush, a hand held to her cheek and the worst case of frizzy hair (thanks to his damned static electricity) imaginable.

* * *

Lucy smiled and welcomed the women inside. Levy, Erza and Lisanna all filed into her apartment, each with a different food brought. Levy had a plate of potatoes, Lisanna brought a salad and Erza brought a bowl of strawberries. The blonde padded over to the table, where Evergreen was already waiting with the cards being shuffled.

"Cana not want to come?" Lucy asked.

"We actually have some news about that," Levy started hesitantly.

Lucy waved the women over to the kitchen where plates were made. She made sure to make one for Ever as well: steak, potatoes, steamed vegetables, salad, and strawberries. Seemed fitting. Once all the ladies were sitting at the table, Ever smiled. "Ten grand is the entry, girls."

"Got it," Lisanna nodded, passing the jewel to the fairy mage for the stack of chips.

Levy nodded and passed hers along as well. "We'll talk, eat and play?"

"Why not?" Erza asked as she followed suit.

Evergreen held up her pouch and Lucy's stack as well, to prove that both had bought in as well. "Yeah, we just need to take our time. Catch up and what not," the brunette said. "Lis, the hundred blind. Levy, the two." When the two had placed their blinds, she passed two cards out to everyone and waited for them to check their cards. Then, they took turns going clockwise calling in.

"So what's going on with Cana?" Lucy asked, raising the bet from two hundred to four.

Erza called the raise. "Well… She's scared, to put it simply."

Ever folded, but Lisanna called the raise. The white haired woman continued. "She… uh… there's something that happened…"

Levy folded, too. Afterward, Ever laid down the three of the flop.

Lucy sighed. "What would make her scared of me, though? Like… I don't think I've said or done anything…"

Erza raised two hundred, but looked to Levy. As Lisanna was finishing a bite of potatoes to prevent being the one to say anything, she slid her chips in the center. Levy sighed at them, speaking as Lucy called the bet. "Natsu finally told her that she's his mate."

Lucy felt her heart drop to her feet. Ever flipped over the turn. "She… But…"

Erza checked. "Yeah… None of us saw it coming."

Lisanna raised the bet by three hundred. Erza folded, but Lucy bet. "...So she's afraid I'll be upset with _her_ over _his_ actions…?"

Levy nodded. "She doesn't want you to hate her, especially after your mission…"

Lucy blinked, watching as the River was flipped. She raised the bet by a thousand, and Lisanna called her. "How did she find out, though?"

"Natsu told her," Lisanna and Erza echoed simultaneously.

The white haired woman flipped her cards. "Two pair, eights and tens- king high."

Lucy flipped hers and reached towards the pot in the center to collect the chips. "Full house, babe. Sorry not sorry."

"Damn, I thought I had that."

The next round was dealt, the blinds were in and Lucy folded in the beginning without even placing the ante in. "Those cards are shit. But he seriously told her?"

Levy nodded again and took a bite from her salad. "Cana said he told her after he came back without you. Said he tracked your scent and found it surrounded by the Raijinshuu's."

"Virgo _did_ bring her keys to us so Loke could bring her for help," the brunette snorted and slipped a pretty high bet in.

Lisanna folded. "I mean it makes sense now, but Cana was probably more upset with him than we were. She didn't even try to talk to Wendy about healing him after Laxus beat his ass."

Lucy sighed and shoved a part of her steak in her mouth to keep from saying something stupid.

"While I don't agree with him actions," Erza began, her eyes trained on the brunette woman, "I… Don't think it was intentional."

"It wasn't and that's the problem," Lucy said. "He went off, and our trust just… Derailed over time. He can't look at me on the battlefield without seeing Future Lucy."

"Oh no," Lis said, casting her sad eyes towards the celestial mage.

She nodded. "I know he didn't _mean_ it… But if that's how it was with _Vulcan,_ I don't really… Think we can be partners."

"I don't blame you," Erza said as she folded. "It's not healthy for partners, or a team effort for that matter."

Lucy snorted as Levy tossed down a three of a kind to trump Ever's two pair. She didn't get a gain of two thousand seven hundred like Lucy did, but still got a damn good haul. Cards were dealt, the blinds were posted, and a new hand began again.

"So," Ever said after swallowing a bite of the vegetables. "What happened to make you call us in for Poker night?"

"It… Has to do with your asshole leader."

"Freed?"

"The _blond_ asshole leader."

Levy's eyes grew curious, Erza tilted her head and Ever and Lisanna leaned in.

The flop fell and Levy folded. Ever raised seven hundred and Lisanna folded. When Erza called her for the bet, though, the fairy mage lost her gusto and folded. Since Lucy hadn't spoken up, Erza nudged the blonde with her elbow. When the new hand begun, she cleared her throat upon raising.

"So, uh. Laxus and his team saved me. I get back from the mission and Natsu and I fought again about being partners and what happened. Laxus showed up with Ever and that's when you were called," she stopped only to nod at her red headed sister. "And things… Have been happening."

"Things?" Levy asked through a mouthful as she folded.

Ever nodded. "They went on that mission."

"Oh, right," Erza nodded and raised the bet to eleven hundred. This made both Ever and Lisanna fold. Lucy, on the other hand, called. "How did that go over?"

Lucy flipped her cards to show two pair- Kings and Aces. Erza cursed but didn't argue when Lucy swept in the pot. "Other than the bombs, fine."

"Bombs?" Ever tilted her head. "I didn't hear about that…"

"Crocus was bombed. Laxus was out getting food when the hotel we were supposed to be staying at was hit." Lucy looked blankly at her new cards and shook her head. "It wasn't _scary_ , just… Brought up bad times."

Levy nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Lu…"

"But that's not all, is it?" Lisanna raised a brow, a smirk playing at her lips.

Lucy blushed heavily and Ever snickered at her. Well, the blonde thought it was for her… It could very well be because she got the pot on that round. "He… He took me on a date…"

Erza blanched and threw her cards down harshly. "He's… He's taking you on _dates_?"

Lucy nodded.

The chips made rounds and when Levy folded she threw her cards at Lucy. "I caught that! Date _s_. You only mentioned one!"

Lucy hid her blush with her bangs, calling Ever's raise. "We took a walk around town a few days ago…"

"Days?!" Lisanna cried out.

Ever showed off her straight. Lucy showed a flush and won the pot.

"Yeah. I just… I needed time to think is all."

"About Laxus?" Erza asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

Lucy sighed and rested her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand. "Yeah… I'm like three hundred percent sure I'm falling for that idiot."

"Woah woah, what?" Levy asked, her eyes wide.

Erza seemed stiff, but Ever and Lisanna seemed genuinely excited. The blonde shrugged shyly, raising a lot of cash. "Yeah. The dinner date was amazing. He kissed my forehead after he walked me home. Then the other day, he kissed my cheek after walking me home."

"Has he made any advances?" Erza raised a brow.

"Nope," the blonde answered.

Ever's eyes went wide. "Woah, really? He hasn't… Not even for a full on kiss on the lips?"

"Not at all."

Lisanna whistled. Erza seemed to relax at that.

Levy looked at Evergreen sharply, the brunette nodding as minutely as possible. Her hazel eyes widened and shot to her blonde best friend. "That's kinda crazy…"

"He might actually be serious about you," Erza whispered.

Ever narrowed her eyes at Titania. "Oh, Erza, he _is_. She's only just realizing it." When the Queen's eyes met the Knight's eyes, everything clicked into place for everyone. Lisanna who was watching, Ever who _knew_ , and Levy and Erza who realized the whole mate thing. Everyone now knew. Well, everyone except the celestial mage herself. Then again, all the ladies there knew that Laxus needed to tell her himself. It was silent for a moment, allowing Lucy time to think about what was said _and_ think about her next move. They focused primarily on the Texas Hold Em game and eating while the blonde thought over what Evergreen offered.

Lucy now knew that Laxus was serious about her.

"He's… Helped me a lot."

Levy went all in, feeling confident about her hand. "What do you mean?"

Lucy folded, as did most others, but Erza called her for the bet. Erza and Levy both had a pair of kings, but Erza had an ace where Levy had a seven. Levy officially broke out, but didn't move from her seat as they were still talking.

"I don't know if he meant to do this, but like… Where I would have been confused and lost about what to do with Natsu, he's shown me how to trust myself and put myself first." The next hand was dealt, and the blinds were raised to three hundred for the short and six hundred for the large. "He's making me realize a lot of things I never thought of or considered before…"

"Like the fact that you want him?" Lis teased.

The blonde blushed but nodded. "...I mean yeah, that's one…"

Ever snorted as she raised the bet. "You're adorable, girl. First crush, first boyfriend…"

"We're not… Well… Not officially…"

"Then when will you be official?" Erza asked.

Lucy shrugged, cursing slightly when Lisanna caught the pot at the last second with a higher pair. "Whenever we feel like, I guess."

Levy furrowed her brows. "How does that make any sense?"

"We went on a date, then a mission, because we felt like it. He kissed me because he felt like it. Whenever we're ready, and when we feel like it, we'll become official."

"Fair," Erza nodded in agreement.

Lis smirked but folded on the new hand. "So Ever, how's the planning going?"

The brunette beamed. "Very good actually. Lucy agreed to be a bridesmaid, so we've got a good chunk of everything planned. Most everything else is the expensive bits."

"Do you have a date?" Levy asked excitedly.

She nodded. "We're looking at a late summer date."

"Oh shit, that's soon though!" Lisanna exclaimed.

She shook her head. "No, _next_ summer. So we still have ample time to get everything together. It might be moved to an earlier summer date, but nonetheless."

Lucy smiled. "I'm happy for you."

The brunette cringed at the bets and folded. "With the way this is going tonight, _I'm_ not very happy for me."

The girls all laughed, but Levy wholeheartedly agreed seeing as how she'd already lost her entry.

"How's Jel and them doing, 'Za?" Lucy asked.

"Fine," she smiled. "Happier now that they've been pardoned. They're thinking about either becoming official or splitting to join others. It's a thought and a work in progress but I'll be meeting up with them sometime next month to figure out where they're going from here."

Lucy laughed happily. "Just imagine them joining guilds. The _chaos_ if any joined Fairy Tail."

"Oh gosh," Levy snickered. "Especially the poison one?"

"Oh, Cobra?"

"Yeah," Levy nodded at the blonde. "Isn't he also a dragon Slayer?"

"Second generation, yes," Erza nodded.

"Oh good," Ever rolled her eyes, "just what we need."

Erza was the next one to break out, losing her ten grand on absurd betting strategies. Because of course she did. The women kept their gossip circle, ranging from how Lisanna was fairing with Bickslow to Levy's crush and her being at a standstill with him. They talked about Elfman and Evergreen's wedding more, and even circled back to learn more about how Lucy felt about Laxus. Nothing new was shed for Evergreen, but the others were at least filled in on it.

When the brunette broke out, Lisanna raised her hands. "I'm good to cash out for the night."

"Fine with me."

Lis walked away with twelve thousand, two hundred jewel. More than she came with, at least. Lucy seemed to be having a lucky night, as she held the majority with thirty eight thousand and eight hundred jewel to her name. She had a passing thought about possibly going to a casino sometime for poker, but decided against it. If anything, she could probably find a few high rollers to join up for a little bit riskier of a poker night. If Cana were here, the entry bet would have been fifty grand instead of ten, and Lucy didn't think that was a bad start.

Especially since she's found herself to be a lot more stable since breaking off her previous partnership. No, she hasn't taken many requests, but the two she _did_ take, she still had set back. Which reminded her.

"Do any of you guys have anything about that house issue?"

Lisanna rolled her eyes. "You haven't been living here all that long though."

"Yeah, I just want a place of _my own_. Ya know?"

Ever nodded understandingly. "Yeah. Elf and I are looking for the same thing, and we haven't found squat."

Erza shook her head. "I only found lands for sale. You'd have to build your own."

Levy nodded. "Most places around here are for rent anyway, so…"

Lucy blinked. "You know, building my own house doesn't sound like a bad idea. I could stay here longer, finish up my lease, and in the process I'd be making my dream house…."

Erza shrugged at that. "It's up to you, in the end."

The blonde lass acted as a good host for the rest of the short night. It was nearing ten at night when they started to talk about leaving, and the thing that made them all leave was Lucy admitting to wanting to talk to Cana alone. To see if she could get the brunette over so they'd talk through things. The women, at that, agreed to leave and call her tomorrow. Levy made her promise to take a small job with her later in the week- so the script mage could make back what she lost- and the blonde agreed.

Once all the women filed out and their dishes had been cleaned up, Lucy steeled herself for a conversation she didn't know if she was ready to have. The lass took a moment to think over things- though her answer came quick and easy, she still wanted to be sure- and to think of a way to get the drunkard over. Fairy Hills had a curfew for people who didn't live there, after all.

Wait, was Cana even awake? Looking out the window, the blonde spotted the full moon and smiled warmly. Yes, her Wicca friend was. She always _tried_ to stay up for the full moons.

The blonde steeled herself again and called the drunkard.

But she didn't answer.

Lucy scowled and redialed.

Finally, Cana answered that one. "..Hi Lucy…"

Okay, that was _already_ enough pussyfooting around. "Cana, I have a bigger bath tub and you haven't even checked it out. Get your ass over here and talk to me, have a bath with me, or else I'll buy the bar outta stock on your ass."

The woman blinked twice and smiled sadly. "So… The others told you…"

"Yes," she nodded. "Now get over here already. I'm not gonna wait all night."

Cana sighed and nodded. "I… I'll be over in ten."

Lucy smiled and agreed to this. "Good. Go get your clothes ready and grab some snacks. You're staying over tonight."

And the blonde hung up.

That _should_ tell Cana enough, right? Nobody in their right mind would have someone over for the whole night if they were mad at them. Feeling only slightly better about the situation, Lucy casually began to draw a bath up- not forgetting the salts, bath bomb, and the bubble bath. Who could have a bath without them? It was last second that the woman grabbed two wine glasses and a bottle of strawberry-mango moscato and got it in there.

Less than a second after all three were on the counter, Cana was knocking at the door.

Lucy turned the water off and ran back out there, smiling when she saw the unusually shy brunette on the other side. Without care of the woman's night pack, Lucy threw her arms around the drunkard and pulled her into a large hug. "It's not your fault, babes."

Cana whimpered a little, dropped her bag and wrapped her arms around Lucy in return. "I just… Didn't know what to say… Or what to do… And I was scared you'd leave me out of your life after it…"

"He hasn't marked you already, has he?"

"No."

"Thank the stars," she whispered as she pulled back. The angry look on her face was playful in nature. "If you two mated and you didn't come tell me about it, _then_ I would have been pissed."

Cana laughed, the relief very visible on her face.

"So what did I miss out on while I was apparently being a dumbass?" She lifted her pack back up and waltzed into the apartment after Lucy moved out of the way. She pulled her flats off at the door, being as courteous as possible, and _immediately_ started towards the bathroom.

"Not much," Lucy waved off. "We only went ten in, Lis called it a night when she pulled twelve. I skirted out with the rest."

"Nice!" Cana praised. "Even if it is a weak ten entry, it's still a damn good haul." Without even shutting the door behind her, she started stripping down- pausing only to pour herself a glass of wine. "What about the Gossip Rag?"

Lucy shrugged and followed suit. "Mostly about Ever and Elf's wedding, Levy's crush and what Jel and the gang are doing…." She then pursed her lips together and slipped into the other side of the bath with her wine glass in hand. When her eyes met Cana's violet ones, the brunette raised a brow.

"You're not telling me something."

The blonde lass nodded. "So…. I'm kinda falling for Laxus."

Cana choked on her drink. "What? Why? When the hell did this happen?!"

Well… This was going to be an interesting conversation. "So… Everyone knows about the Wyvern Job at this point… After that…"


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note** : I can honestly say I struggled with this one a bit. I honestly never planned on any oc bullshit in this story at all, but there was a decision I had to make. If I left it out, this chapter would be lacking. It would be shorter than the others by a long while, and even though I'm still not the happiest with the turnout of this chapter, I would have been even MORE unhappy with it if it fell that short._

 _So basically, the beginning is just a little tiny bit of filler._

 _If I combined the next chapter with this one, there would have been_ too much _to one single chapter and it would have felt rushed. If I left this chapter out, there would be a missing link. But if I left it without the beginning portion, it wouldn't be long enough. So let me apologize now for shoving Saveya at you all. I tried to keep it minimal and skim over it as much as possible so you guys didn't get bored of it._

 _I don't know, I've only ever put my OCs in two stories. I have no idea how y'all can post stories solely about your OCs and be so confident about it. I'm over here apologizing because I think that's what you guys DON'T want... Well, that and I feel like an OC is an extremely personal creation. You put a lot of time and effort into them, so to just post them in a story for everyone to read seems hella exposing. That's just me. Maybe I'm just a paranoid doofus._

 _So, I'll shut up now. But to make up for that, I'm planning on updating again very soon. Like before Monday soon. I don't know exactly when, but whatever. May, shut up and let them read this ffs._

 _ONTO THE STORY!_

* * *

Lucy leaned against the door to the office. Though unsurprised to see Laxus and Freed both inside, she _was_ surprised to see that it was cleaner than the Master's office. The two had gotten back from their mission two days ago, and it had been a little over a week since she and the slayer had their little walk. Her rent was due in three days, but she wouldn't be there to pay it.

"Sorry for the wait, Miss Lucy," Freed apologized.

She smiled and shook her head. "No, it's fine. I waited to give you guys time to recover anyway."

The rune mage smiled back at her. "Well we appreciate it. What can we do for you?"

And that made the lass shrug. "I'm heading to Crocus with Cana and Levy. We're gonna meet up with the Sabers and help with the recovery effort. I wanted to extend an invitation is all."

Laxus stiffened when she mentioned Crocus, though he relaxed just a tad when all was explained. He _still_ didn't like the idea of her being around other slayers, nor did he like the idea of her in Crocus again. He had to swallow his pride, though. She was a free woman and he'd never take that from her. But he _did_ give her a sad look.

"I know I can't. We got back and I let a client know I'd be there to take his job."

"Without us?" Freed asked with a raised brow.

The blond shrugged. "I don't want to overwork you all. There's a few jobs that are a little time sensitive that nobody's taken up yet."

While that much was true, it just _wasn't_ true about the mission he'd taken. Freed knew what he was doing- what he was saving for- but it wasn't his place to call him out in front of his love interest. The green haired man opened his mouth, closed it, then blinked a couple of times. "I also cannot. There's a mage coming to be introduced to the guild and I am the only one she knows here. It would be best if I'm here while she adjusts."

"We're getting a new member?" Lucy asked happily.

He nodded. "She's cut from a similar cloth as you and I."

The blonde cringed at that. "Okay, yeah, you _definitely_ should stay for her. Can I know anything about her before she gets here?"

Freed nodded and stepped away from his desk to sit atop it. "She's from high society as well. Where you came from wealth, my family name has been around for many hundreds of years, and Rufus Lore comes from a politically invested family, she's from nobility."

"Oooh, Baroness? Viscountess or Countess?"

"Her father is the Grand Duke of Pergrande."

Lucy winced at that. "Damn, skipping Marchioness and all. Why the hell is she coming here?"

He reached behind him, grabbed a letter, and passed it to the blonde lass. As her eyes skimmed through and read the written words, Freed verbally explained. "Pergrande isn't known for mages. If anything, they're known for slaughtering their mages. They use things like gladiatorial combat and death as forms of entertainment. Women are nothing but wombs to breed when they so wish. She's taking a rather dangerous journey from her father before he finds out about her magic."

The lass felt her eyes sadden as she read through the scrawlings. "This was from Bosco? So she's already been through Iceberg and Stella… will she be safe getting here?"

"Yeah," Laxus interrupted. "She's got Bicks' old man escorting her himself." He looked between the two and shrugged. "I'm glad she chose Fiore and not like… Minstrel. Having to go through Bellum right now wouldn't be a fun time."

Lucy snorted. "Laxus, hon, you _do_ realize that Bellum literally _means_ War, right?"

He blinked and furrowed his brows. "...Why the hell would you name your kingdom War?"

"Why would you name it Flower?" Freed countered, speaking about their own kingdom.

Lucy snorted and rolled her eyes. Horologium told her, through their bond, that now was time to leave if she wanted to get everything done before getting to Crocus. She sighed. "There's the bell. I've gotta go turn in my rent if I want to ensure it gets paid."

"When is it due?" The lightning mage raised a brow.

"Tuesday, but I'll be in Crocus till Thursday."

The Slayer looked down at what appeared to be a personal timetable… Booklet… Agenda thing. She never knew _anyone_ who actually used those… Yet here he was. Checking his shit. "Damn. I was gonna offer to turn it in for ya, but I'll be gone Tuesday."

Freed raised a brow. "I could turn it in for you, Miss Lucy. I'll still be here."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Freed. I can turn it in early, it won't affect anything-"

"Princess," Virgo said as she appeared before the blonde lass.

Lucy jumped back, startled, and clasped both her hands to her chest. "Dammit, Virgo!"

"Did I scare you, Princess..? Is it Punishment time?"

"No! Ugh, what is it?" The blonde wasn't usually this short with her spirits, but she didn't have a whole helluva lot of time.

The maid bowed to her. "I've taken the liberty to pack for you. If you do not leave now, you will miss your train. Miss McGarden and Miss Alberona are at the station, waiting."

"Shit," Lucy cursed. She reached into her purse and pulled out the ninety thousand jewel she needed for rent and passed it to Freed. "It's-"

"I'll take him there so he knows where to go. You go," Laxus said as he started pushing her out of the room.

She looked up at him with grateful eyes. "Thanks Sparky. I'm outie five thousand!"

As the blonde lass rocketed off, Freed stepped up next to his dearest friend. "...Still looking?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck, my friend," Freed said as he patted the slayer's back. "You're going to need it."

* * *

Lucy was actually pretty happy when the trio arrived in Crocus. Despite the manual labor they had to put in, the fairies had a really good time with the Sabers. Sting and Rogue's bickering reminded her of happier times with her own team, the cute romance between Orga and Yukino made her tease the other celestial mage every chance she got, and even Rufus and Minerva were relaxing and cracking jokes of their own.

What interested Lucy most was the flirty teasing between Levy and Sting.

Still, spending almost a week with the Sabers made Lucy feel better about herself. After explaining only once that she and Natsu weren't a team any longer- not even explaining _why_ mind you- none of them pressed the issue. Orga was the only one who _'complained'_ about how she smelled like Laxus. Complained meaning teased her. Yukino refused to let her go home without a promise that they'll take a mission together sometime soon, and Lucy readily agreed.

Cana was ready to relax, but Lucy and Levy still had a mission to get to… Though when Lucy began telling the others about the new addition to the guild, Levy wanted to see if she'd come along too.

When they got back- sure enough, Laxus was gone, but it didn't look like anyone new was in the building. The blue haired lass and the blonde shared a confused look, but wandered up to the second level to Laxus' office nonetheless. And upon entering, they found what (or, rather, _who_ ) they were looking for. The young woman, who looked no older than twenty one, was asleep on the couch in the office.

Lucy looked up at Freed and smiled. "Taking a nap?"

He nodded. "She's a Dream Mage. She sleeps quite a bit."

Lucy laughed lightly, softly.

"May I ask why you've come up?"

"We wanted to see if she wanted to tag along on our mission," Levy answered with a smile.

Freed smiled back. "She's been worried about taking jobs on no experience. This would be a nice way to start."

"What's her name?" Levy asked.

"Saveya," a new effeminate voice said. The three looked to the couch to see the woman yawn and sit up slowly. "My name is Saveya."

Lucy smiled brightly at her. "It's nice to meet you. Welcome to Fairy Tail, I'm Lucy."

"I'm Levy," the short lass replied cheerily. "Welcome to our home away from home!"

The woman was gorgeous to say the least. She had thick, lavender locks that fell to her hips in beachy waves and slight curls. Her eyes were more Eastern than Lucy had seen before in shape, though they shined a violet hue under the Lacrima lighting. Her skin was pale, and it was obvious the woman had muscle. It wasn't the washboard abs style, which is only focused on appearance, but rather the thick kind. Her arms, legs, and core were all thick, but it was obvious this women held actual power. Her lips were thick and pouty, and while she didn't have as large of a chest as Lucy, when she stood, the other two women could _see_ that the woman had a killer ass.

Her smile was gorgeous, too. "It's nice to meet you both."

"We wanted to know if you wanted to tag along on a mission with us?" Levy looked up at the rather tall woman with hopeful eyes.

The Eastern woman looked shocked. "...Really? But… I'm new here…"

"And?" Lucy asked sassily. "We all start _somewhere_."

The lavender haired lass' smile grew. "Alright, sure!"

"Hell yeah," the blonde cheered. "Come on out to the bar with us, we'll buy you a drink and we'll talk about magic types."

Saveya agreed, but looked to Freed as though she needed permission. Back home, she did. The rune mage only smiled and shooed them along in response. Happy, the three ladies took off for the bar and plopped down. Lucy ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri as she wasn't ready to drink quite yet, Levy got herself a chocolate milkshake, and Saveya ordered a peach-pineapple smoothie. Once Mira left to make the drinks, Lucy turned to their new guildmate sitting between them.

"So, you use Dream Magic? Is that kind of like Sleep Magic?"

The lavender haired woman shrugged slightly. "It _includes_ sleep magic. Most of my spells are for support, stealth, recon and interrogation… But I _do_ have a means of attack should I need it."

Levy leaned on the bar. "I've heard that is a form of eye magic?"

The woman nodded. "It's… Think of Bickslow's magic. His Figure Eyes are used in cooperation with his Seith Magic- or how Freed's Dark Écriture is used in conjunction with his Rune magic. It's like that."

The script mage crossed one leg over the other. "So what is it _exactly_ , then?"

Saveya shrugged. "So I excell in sleep magic, targeting the subconscious, illusions, and things like that. If my target is asleep, I can give them nightmares that will affect their physical person or I could give them sweet dreams that restore my magic by leeching off of theirs." She gave a small smile and a bow of her head as thanks when Mira handed her the drink she ordered. "Illusions I make with my eyes, and my eyes trigger the support spells I know, too."

Lucy grinned widely. "That sounds super rad," she complimented.

Levy nodded enthusiastically. "Is the dream thing your form of attack?"

"Oh, no… Dream Magic comes with a side helping Takeover Magic. I have a Dream takeover and a Nightmare takeover. Both do different things. In my Dream Soul, I have stronger defense and agility. It takes less magic to hold, and my spells don't take a lot of magic to _use_ in this soul. But if I use Nightmare Soul, I have a boost in speed, strength, and magic _power-_ not magic amount. So while Nightmare Soul takes more magic to hold and the spells use more magic, it's faster and stronger to use."

"Oooh, interesting," Levy smiled. "I'd love to see one someday."

Lucy nodded. "Me too. But let's talk strategy. If we've got Saveya, Levy's a Solid Script Mage, and I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage, we're probably going to split the workload best if we take a recon or a stealth mission… One where fighting is least required. Myself and Saveya would be our melee fighters."

The lavender haired lass tilted her head. "I thought celestial spirit mages were holder mages?"

"We are," Lucy nodded. "... You'll see on the mission."

Levy snickered. "Our little Lucy is the strongest celestial mage!"

She rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Levy used to be a Rune Knight. She's amazing at calling the shots and getting intellectual things done in a flash."

The script mage nudged the blonde. "Don't discredit yourself! Miss Fairy Sphere."

Lucy shrugged. "I'm not as fast on my feet as you are."

Saveya giggled at their sudden yet playful bickering. She only smiled more when Lucy was startled by one of Bicklow's totems. Sure enough, where one was? The other wasn't far behind. Or, rather, the other _five_ if you include the other totems _and_ the mage himself. He plopped himself into the seat next to Lucy, laughing loudly as she hit his arm for scaring her.

Those two then broke out into their own playful argument.

"It's like this all the time," Levy commented as she leaned towards the new member. "We've all got our own little quirks, but we embrace each other for them. It's one big, dysfunctional family."

"I'm not used to things like this," she admitted. "In Pergrande, women didn't matter unless it was for producing offspring. We never had calm conversation like this… And Bosco was where nobody was ashamed to be openly sexual. To go from two extremes to this is… It's a weird shift."

Levy smiled sadly. "I like to think Fiore is the best place to just… Be yourself."

"It seems so," she agreed. "The differences in culture from the East and the Main Land to here? It's astonishing how vastly different they can be."

Levy laughed lightly. "Don't worry about forcing yourself to change, alright? You'll find your own path and fit in faster than you think."

The taller lass blushed a bit and bowed her head a bit. "Thank you. You've been very kind."

"That's the Levs for ya," Bickslow commented. "Kind and soothes your soul. Unlike the demon Cosplayer over here."

Lucy scoffed indignantly. "Excuse you!"

* * *

The three women took what began as a simple reconnaissance mission: go into enemy territory, retrieve information without being a spy but by staying stealthy enough to plunder for it, return said information to the client. With the skill set presented, it should have been cut and dry. However, the women didn't account for the client selling them out. Just as all was going well, right _after_ they had been paid, the dark mages had them surrounded.

On the bright side, they got to see the takeovers. On the bad side, they were pretty sure Nightmare Soul would haunt their own dreams. Lucy was damned positive Laxus would be there by the time she got back, since the mission was about three days long. Unfortunately, this wasn't the case. At all. After his first week gone, with her back in town, Lucy took to hanging out with his team. Ever was a given, yet Freed and Bickslow proved to be amazing company. Saveya, even. They all greeted Lucy with smiles and updates to let her know their leader was still alive. She even got Bickslow to promise her not to tell Laxus she'd been asking.

His second week gone, Lucy was back to holing herself up. Again, she rarely left her apartment. Granted she only managed to make it _in the actual guild_ a good six times since Laxus had asked her if she'd return… Still, this time she just wasn't hanging out or _going_ out to see anyone.

And it killed her inside.

It killed her to know how depressed she _so easily_ got without knowing about his safety. It killed her to know how fast and how hard she fell for his stupid face. It killed her to know that she _was_ fine without him. She could easily get up, get out, go back to the guild, and act like nothing had happened. But, at the same time, it killed her to know that she was _willing_ to wait for him.

She _wanted_ to wait for him.

It wasn't until halfway through the second week that she finally managed to remind herself that waiting for someone didn't have to mean putting her life on hold for theirs. No, she didn't physically see anyone else, but she made a point to go jogging twice a day and called at least one person a night. She didn't have to put her life on hold…. But man, was it boring without a dumb slayer popping up at random with weirdly timed requests. Like walking. Or holding his big, stupid hand.

Gods, she missed him.

Then, a little over four weeks, there was a knock at her door.

Lucy felt her heart skip a beat… But she squashed the feeling. It wasn't Laxus. She'd be able to feel the slight change in the static in the air.

...And that's how you know you've been waiting too long. When you figure out how to tell when someone shows up.

The blonde padded over to the door and cracked it open. In front of her stood a rather handsome delivery man with a bouquet of vibrant red roses.

"Delivery for Lucy Heartfilia?"

She blushed and nodded. "Um… That's me…"

"Here you are. Two dozen red roses and a letter," he handed them over to her and she blinked curiously. Her words were caught in her throat as she stared down at the roses in her arms with a slack jaw. It took a second for her to snap out of it.

"Wait! Who are these-" she looked up to see that the delivery man was long gone. "-...from…"

Lucy sighed and brought them in nonetheless. The blush on her cheeks hadn't quite died down, even by the time she'd managed to put the abundance of flowers into a watered vase on her table. Tomorrow, she'd ask Droy about the best way to keep them alive longer. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and plucked the letter up curiously. What surprised her was the fact that her name was printed on the paper- not written on. Now curious, Lucy opened it to see chicken scratch of handwriting. Well, that explains why her name was printed instead of written.

 _Dear Lucy,_

 _Two dozen red roses for a woman who looks stunning in red. Meet me at 8 Island at seven._

She blinked.

Then narrowed her eyes.

 _Who the fuck?_

She shook her head and debated on just throwing the damn thing away and keeping the roses. Then again, that seemed too rude. If someone paid for two dozen roses to be sent to her, they must really be an admirer… A small sigh left her and she summoned her two most trusted spirits.

Loke appeared in a flourish, as usual, and Virgo came with a bow and a small smile.

"Yes, Princess?" the maid asked.

Lucy pointed at the table where the flowers sat. "I got those delivered. I don't know who sent them, but they told me to meet them at Yajima's cafe."

Loke seemed confused. "...Why not go..?"

"I don't know who sent them!"

"But princess, isn't Yajima very close with Makarov?"

"Well… Yeah…"

Loke snorted. "It's the safest place for you to meet a stranger at. Besides, only a few people know you address."

Lucy sighed as Loke moved to the table to examine said flowers. Upon seeing the letter, he took it upon himself to read it.

Virgo just smiled. "You're waiting on the lightning mage."

Lucy blushed at her bold statement.

Loke pushed his sunglasses up so she couldn't see his eyes. Because he knew she could read him like a book. "I think you should go."

"But…"

"Think about it. If he misses out, he'll go through hell to make it up to you," Loke coaxed as though nothing would go wrong.

But what if this person asks her on another date..?

"You don't have to go, Princess… But if Big Brother suggests it, I trust his judgement."

The blonde looked at her maid spirit, noting the strange twinkle in her eyes. She could read Loke like a book, but Virgo was a little harder to read since she was so stolid most of the time. The lass wasn't sure if the twinkle was a good or a mischievous thing. But, more than anything, she trusted their judgement. As much as it left a bad taste in her mouth, she trusted them. "...What do I _wear_..?"

"Red?" The lion offered.

Virgo nodded. "You have the red and white dress from last year still, yes?"

" _That_? On a date with a stranger?"

"They _did_ say that red was your color…" her lion trailed off as he examined his nails.

Again, the lass sighed, not liking the weirdly tense feeling in her gut. She felt as though doing this was the biggest sin she could ever commit, like every fiber of her being was telling her not to go. Then again, she and Laxus weren't official… Even still, that didn't matter. She was willing to wait…

But she trusted these two.

They wouldn't steer her wrong.

So, she nodded.

Virgo and Loke tended to the blonde the whole time, doting on her and coaxing her along. The dress was a smooth, white dress that fell to her knees. It was a little tight, but made of a very stretchy material that made walking in it a lot easier. The white little number was a boat neck, showing just enough if her cleavage to be flirty yet professional, and the "sleeves" were able an inch and a half thick that wrapped around her upper biceps instead of being tank top straps on her shoulders. The little thing was tight in all the right areas, but breathable and not too tight to leave nothing to the imagination. It was just enough.

But the white was hemmed in a glittery red fabric, complete with a single thick horizontal stripe of the fabric around her midsection. The woman topped it off in a pair of red flats and hung a sterling silver chain necklace on her neck, with a little ruby heart falling just at the little dip in her collar bones.

Her makeup was minimal- mascara, winged liner, and ruby red lipstick.

When she looked in the mirror, all she could do was sigh. The image looking back at her was gorgeous, stunning, and she couldn't even deny it. Even with her hair only in a high bun, it still looked like a perfect blend of classy and sassy. What _bothered_ her was that someone _other than_ her lightning mage would see her in this. As a date.

Back up. He wasn't hers.

...But she was okay with calling him hers.

When she stepped into the little cafe, she had to force down the nauseous feeling that crept along her spine. Everything her spirits had said before, she couldn't remember. _Why_ was she here? Why was she doing this? Her brown eyes scanned the area quickly, looking for any sign of who could be waiting for her.

And she hit jackpot.

The nauseous feeling crept along again, but this time it was a good nervous. She could feel the slight charge to the air. There, at a booth in the back, sat an obvious and highly recognizable head of spiked blond hair. His face was in the menu, though. That's when it registered: Loke probably recognized Laxus' writing. She strode over to the table with purpose- to throw him off. If he got to make her nervous, she'd have a right to be a little angry in return.

"You know, I almost didn't come," she said as she approached.

He looked up and she saw his eyes widen significantly. "Holy shit…"

She raised a brow.

"...You're _gorgeous_."

Okay, not fair. Just because he thought red was her color didn't give him the right to make her blush constantly.

Though the pink flush to her cheeks gave away her slight embarrassment, she rolled her eyes. "If you would have signed your damn name…"

He blinked and tilted his head. "I thought I did?"

"Nope."

"Oh… Surprise?"

"Wonderful surprise," she deadpanned. Outwardly, she was making it seem as though she hadn't been aching for him. She couldn't let him see, or know, that she was over the moon that he was back finally. Or that her heart was trying to beat its way out of her chest. He didn't need to know that.

He nudged her leg with his foot. "Sit. Talk and eat with me."

"Why should I?"

 _Any reason. Tell me that you're hungry and I'll sit._

He shrugged. "Because I feel like eating with you."

Lucy clearly remembered telling Erza that everything happened because they felt like it. She nodded and sat after that. "Fine, fine. You're paying, though."

"I'll always pay for you," he smirked.

She blushed a little but smiled shyly.

He pouted at this.

"That's no good… You're getting used to me. I gotta try harder for that pretty little blush of yours."

Lucy snorted. "I think you'll live without seeing it as often."

"But I like the way you look in red."

Unspoken: _I can't take my eyes off those damned lips._

Lucy smiled a bit. "So I've heard." The woman then flagged down the waiter to order drinks. Once that was done, she leaned towards him. "So how did the missions go?"

He shrugged. "Got a lot done, but didn't find what I was looking for. I'm thinking about saving up."

"Oh?" She tilted her head. "What are you looking for?"

"Something to take someone's breath away," he shrugged. "Not sure yet, but I'll know what it is when I find it."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, don't be so cryptic."

"I'm serious though," he admitted. The look in his eyes spoke clear levels of honesty. "I _don't_ know what I'm looking for."

 _My life in a nutshell,_ Lucy mentally commented. "So are you heading out again?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I gotta keep looking, or save up to buy something impressive. One or the other."

"I thought you were well enough off already?"

"Only by about seven million. It's nothing too much."

The blonde nodded. Mentally, though, she wondered how the hell he was able to get even that much on a wizard's 'salary'. She'd seen higher figures than that, sure, but it didn't mean she wasn't impressed. However, a thought soon worked its way into her head. "Speaking of hard cash," she paused.

He motioned for her to continue.

"Do you know anyone willing to high roll on Texas Hold Em?"

Laxus raised a brow at her. "...Define high rolling."

Lucy shrugged. "On a typical poker night for the ladies, we bet ten large."

He let out a low whistle.

"But when Cana and I play with Erza, the three of us us combined can convince the others to roll fifty."

His eyes widened at that. "You will roll _fifty_ on a poker game..?"

She nodded. "Yeah. My nickname isn't Lucky Lucy for shits and giggles."

He snorted at that. "Orga, Bacchus and I usually roll between twenty and thirty… But I can see if they'll roll that much."

Lucy smiled. "That'd be nice. I like our poker nights, but sometimes I want something a little more than the ten pop we get."

"Ever told me you banked on the last game."

She nodded. "Lis pulled back when it got to just us. I got out with thirty eight and eight hundred."

He smirked wildly. "We should spend a day at the casino sometime."

The lass laughed at that. "Maybe. I'm more interested in like.. Aquariums, Zoos, things like that."

As the waiter returned, he winked at her. "I'll take ya when I get back."

* * *

The two had a nice dinner where they just… _Talked_. Nothing important or interesting was spoken about from there, but they just got to know one another better. Lucy's favorite color was gold where his was navy blue. Lucy's birthday was coming up very soon- in a week, actually. July thirteenth. His was in November, also the thirteenth. Both were born on a Friday. Her favorite animal was a river otter, his was a tiger.

After dinner, they kept up with their little date, and the longer she was around him, the easier it was to just… _Be_ around him. Previously, she'd get embarrassed and confused and not know what to do with herself. She'd get lost, return to the real world, and internally freak out. Now, though, the two sat on the edge of the canal in front of her apartment. His arm was around her, holding her waist as she just leaned against him. Nothing was said because nothing _needed_ to be said.

Lucy's heart _was_ going ninety thousand miles a second, sure, but it wasn't making her nervous anymore. If anything, it felt like a rush of happiness within this falling feeling that now felt like home. _He_ started to feel like home. It hadn't been long- a little over two and a half months since the Wyvern job- but it was long enough for Lucy to know that Laxus was now someone she didn't think she could live without. Few people were even on that list: Cana, Levy, Gray and Erza being the four main people there. She once thought Natsu was there, but that… Was questionable at best now.

Lucy sighed happily, her eyes moving from the canal in front of them to his strong facial features. His eyes met hers and she couldn't help the doofy smile she could _feel_ on her face. He shook his head with a smile on his face and pulled her just a bit closer to him. Just this closeness in the silence, under the stars, seemed so intimate in a way she couldn't explain.

 _Ding dong. Miss Lucy, it is now Midnight. Please be careful while outside at this hour._

Her eyes widened. "It's already midnight?" She whispered.

Laxus pulled back just a smidge. "It is?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "That's what horologium just told me."

He sighed a bit. "Well… Let's get you inside."

The walk to the door was a little awkward, though probably because their moment was so weirdly interrupted. Still, as she stood there looking at him.. That longing look in his eyes.. Lucy had to face the music. She didn't _want_ him to leave. When he turned around to leave, she felt a little panic rise.

"Wait!"

Laxus looked over his shoulder.

"...Stay tonight."

He tensed up faster than Lucy thought possible. _Oh shit. Abort mission! Retreat!_

"Um… If… If you want to. You don't have to of course. You're… I mean…"

"Lucy?"

The lass jumped a bit.

"Do you want me to stay..?"

Gods, she thought she was over the whole blushing thing… But she could _feel_ the heat in her face. Unable to trust her voice, she nodded. "Um… My couch has a pullout bed… S-So neither of us will be on a couch… Um…"

He had his arms wrapped around her, her face buried in his chest just beneath his collar bone. "Only if you're comfortable with it. I don't want to make you uncomfortable at your own apartment."

"Oh, so you're fine with making me uncomfortable in other places?"

"Maybe."

"You're insufferable."

"Eh, if I really was, you wouldn't be asking me to stay."

"Maybe I just think you're enough to scare away my morning delivery man."

He barked a laugh. "Of course I am."

She giggled and pulled back to look up at him, wondering how the hell he could help her go from wound up to relaxed with a few teasing words. He could also take her from relaxed to wound up with the right prodding questions, too. It was weird. "So..?"

"Yeah, I'll stay tonight."

Lucy couldn't have been happier.

He was an enigma to her, but he was a little confused with himself. There was a reason he acted the way he did. He was so very closed off to everyone yet so very open with her. He shut everyone out, but let her crawl in. He hated smiling for others, but wanted to see the sparkle in her eye more. He never dated because people only saw him for money or prestige… But he dated _her_.

He blamed it on the mate thing.

To be fair, when he told her about his money, she didn't even blink. She didn't look at him and see power or prestige or anything like that… As Laxus walked a little further into the apartment, he watched the blonde talk with the maid spirit she just summoned. Something about getting night clothes for him. A smile spread over his features and he leaned against the couch a bit. She really was something. To take care of him in such a small but significant way, to ask him to stay over, to talk to him about things other than training and fighting… It didn't seem very significant, but to Laxus, it meant the world.

Speaking of training…

"Blondie."

She turned to him as her maid spirit disappeared. "Sparky?"

He smirked and shook his head. "How's the training going?"

The blonde lass walked to her kitchen and put the kettle on the stove. "Great, actually. Loke and I were able to do something that… He said he hadn't been able to do in over a thousand years… So hopefully that means something and I can get there with my other spirits, too."

He nodded. "What's that?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she teased. "If I happen to get a shot at S-Class, I can't have you knowing all my secrets. Who knows if we'd end up fighting."

He barked a laugh at that but nodded in agreement. "Yeah, the trials _are_ coming up soon, aren't they?"

He watched her hop up to sit on her counter. Her feet dangled off the edge, kicking back and forth childishly. "Late August, yeah."

"Do you want the option?"

"Not really, but if I make it then I'm gonna be trying my hardest."

"Fair point. If things calm down and you need a sparring partner to train, my team and I would love to help."

"You can't speak _for_ them, Sparky."

"No, but with how Freed talks about your magic I'm certain he'd be down for it. And Bickslow has already talked about wanting to fight you again anyway."

She smiled and nodded. "Well… We'll see, then." She looked back at the steam coming from the kettle, knowing it was going to start screeching soon. "I also have a mission with Yukino coming up tomorrow, so I need to focus more on that."

Virgo popped back in to hand Laxus a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt for him. He thanked her, took them, and she left. "What are you two doing?"

"Someone requested two holder mages for a mission to Sabertooth. Sting talked to Master about it, and he cleared me to tag along because we've wanted to take an actual mission with the two of us for a long time now." She shrugged and pulled the kettle off the flame when it started screeching. "It's basically just a _retrieve my item I lost_ mission, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Well, when I come back, we'll go to the Aquarium. I should be back by your birthday."

She blushed a bit and nodded, busying herself with making them both a cup of chamomile tea. He took this moment to go change and leave her to her thoughts. When he was done changing, she already had both cups on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"So we'll need to move the coffee table later."

Lucy nodded and scooted over just a bit for him to be able to sit however he wanted on the couch. "Yeah. I bought one of those thick and fluffy memory foam mattresses for this, too, so it's not going to be a shitty experience to sleep on."

He laughed. "Little life favors."

"They go far in the long run."

The two sat around and played a game of monopoly after that, neither managing to get to bed until well after four in the morning. He got to see her business and mathematical mind work wonders as she _destroyed_ him with relative ease despite the dice seeming to screw her over. She wasn't lying when she said she had strong luck, and when she forced him into bankruptcy, he realized that very clearly. Her dice rolls were shitty, at best, but she still easily ripped him a new one.

Laxus praised every deity known to man when she fell asleep on the couch shortly afterwards. Not because he wanted to be rid of her, but rather because he was given another excuse to carry her around like a princess. It was strange, how happy he was to do such a menial thing. It startled him, how much he _wanted_ to do that, but in the same breath… She felt like a breath of fresh air. She felt like the promise of freedom when he was in a jail cell, a breath of air as he was drowning.

She felt like home.

He lifted her in his arms and _man_ , it made him want to stay home instead of taking off for another mission. However, Lucy also had a mission so him staying home wouldn't be productive. There was this nagging feeling that if he were home while she was away, nothing would get done and he'd just be laying around at home, pining for her to get back like some sort of lovesick puppy. In fact, he knew that's exactly what would happen… And he wasn't ready to be the person to do that.

But when he went to lay her in her bed, there came a problem.

She was clinging too tightly to his arms.

If it were his shirt, he'd just take it off and let her have it for the night… But it was his arms. She wasn't letting go, no matter how much he tried to pry at her dainty little fingers. One hand would get free, he'd work on the other hand, and that first hand would reach for him again. While, yes, it made his inner dragon purr in delight, he also wasn't sure how she'd take waking up next to him.

He also wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to keep his hands mostly to himself.

Lucy _was_ a little bombshell and Laxus _is_ a man.

In fact, Laxus is a man who had _noticed_ just how much of a bombshell she was.

He internally groaned, not liking the situation handed to him. Instead, he just carried her back to the couch and laid her atop his chest when he lay back. This way, there wasn't enough _room_ for Laxus to act up or sin, and it looked like they both passed out when she woke. Hopefully. This was the best option he had.

Lucy woke with a start around eleven- a lot later than she _ever_ slept in- because her Lacrima Comm was going off. She leaned up, noticed that _no_ she was not on her bed, and proceeded to feel extremely awkward for the next ten full minuted when she saw that she was laying on top of the man she'd fallen so hard for. They were on the couch, too. But his face looked so very serene, so very peaceful… He looked five years younger because of how soft he looked in that moment. But her lacirma went off again, and she rushed to answer it. He looked like he needed the sleep.

And, no, it didn't escape her that he had a bit of morning wood.

"What's up Yuki?"

The saber rolled her eyes and held her wrist up. " _It's eleven thirty and I haven't heard from you. Are we still doing this today?"_

"Of course, I just… Slept in. Sorry, sis." Lucy stretched and padded her way to the kitchen for some coffee. "We don't have to be there 'till three, right?"

" _Four,"_ the tigress corrected. " _But it's an hour train ride from Magnolia."_

"Right," she nodded. "So I have time to eat and pack and rush to the station."

" _Pretty much,"_ the tigress laughed.

Lucy laughed too. "Thanks for waking me up, babes. I'll see you later."

" _Try not to stay up so late. Who knows what you were doing~"_

"Well, I did wake up with a man in my bed…"

" _WHAT-"_

"Tell ya later. Love you!" And Lucy quickly hung up.

It was about thirty minutes later when the slayer groaned and began waking up himself- and it had everything to do with the smell of bacon. He hadn't woke up to the smell of food since Freed and Bicks lived with him years back. Laxus rolled over, but failed to resituate his downstairs situation, and rolled right onto his hardon. This caused him to groan again- this time in pain- and curl up for less than thirty seconds as he tried to save himself from more discomfort.

"How does turkey, cheese, onion and bell pepper omelettes with bacon and hashbrowns sound for breakfast?"

Lucy didn't even turn away from her cooking to look back at him and see his pain. In fact, she didn't even know he _was_ in pain. One look at her, though, and it was like all his problems disappeared. It was such a primal, borderline misogynistic happiness to see her cooking for the two of them, but it was a happiness he was contented with. His pain was now a minor discomfort.

"Sounds like heaven," he managed to say.

She had to force herself to ignore the gravelly quality of his morning voice- otherwise, she would have thought too much on it and he'd smell the swamp her panties would become.

"How late is it?"

"Noon."

"Shit," he cursed.

She laughed. "Yuki woke me up about thirty minutes ago, too… You're not alone."

"Yeah, we both gotta eat, pack, and head out."

"Exactly."

* * *

As expected, the mission didn't take long. In fact, the only thing that took any amount of significant time on this job was actually getting there. The two celestial mages agreed to focus on the job at hand with minimal distractions, get it out of the way, then head to Gossip City. If all of their responsibilities are taken care of, why not dork off?

Lucy slowly but surely slipped into the hot spring, groaning in relief when the scalding waters caressed all the aches in her limbs. "Stars, I should have come to a hot spring sooner."

Yukino laughed. "Probably. Doesn't Magnolia have one in town?"

Lucy blinked and turned sharply to the 'older' lass. "How the hell can you remember that but I can't?"

"Probably because Wisteria's was made after Magnolia's?"

The blonde shrugged. "Just like Sabertooth's pool was made after Fairy Tail's?"

This earned her a splash of the hot water from the light haired woman. The blonde squeaked at the sudden rush of water, but didn't 'fight back'. "Oh, hush up. We thought we were the first and didn't know anything about Fairy Tail's."

"Mmmmhmmmm," the blonde teased.

Yukino splashed her again. "Enough about all of that. Why did you wake up with a man in your bed?"

"Oh, that," Lucy blushed. "So uh… Laxus."

The tigress snorted, her eyes wide as saucers. "Laxus… Dreyar…?"

She nodded. "Yeah, him."

"Did you just have a one night with your guildmaster's grandson?!"

"No!" Lucy did splash Yukino out of embarrassment this time. "No! We didn't have sex… He stayed over after our date last night. We played Monopoly until dawn and passed out on the couch, I swear."

It was like cat and mouse after that. Catching up with one another proved to be a little more intense than either thought. Orga and Yukino's relationship was blossoming, Laxus had Lucy falling harder than she thought possible, and the situation with Natsu was fully explained. Finally. The tigress didn't pry, but _did_ ask about it- to which the fairy just offered the information. Hell, even after their soak, the two _continued_ their gossip rag as they left for the Sabertooth Guild. The fairy had one final opportunity to head home, but the next train ran at ten thirty. It was the last train of the night, and that didn't give Lucy enough time to go back to Yuki's, gather her things, head to the station, buy a ticket and then board.

So Lucy ended up staying the night with her.

It wasn't a bad circumstance, either. After chatting about damn near _everything_ they could think to gossip about, it only felt right to finish the night with a movie or two and junk food. The morning- this time, the _actual_ morning- was met with a guild breakfast wherein Lucy got to reconnect with the other tigers as well. She got to tease Orga and Yukino both, mess with Sting and Rogue, chat up Minerva to get even closer with the ebony haired woman, and even talked to Rufus... Though, to be fair, she and Rufus mostly talked about the new Fairy and where Saveya came from to where she is now.

They all asked Lucy what would happen during the S-Class trials.

None of them seemed happy about it, considering what happened the _last_ time.

Until Master Makarov said anything or reached out, nobody knew what was going to happen. So, until then, they'd all have to be placated with the fact that the blonde lass truly didn't know. Hell, as far as she knew, they wouldn't _have_ a trial and Makarov might just promote someone. Just because she was technically dating his grandson didn't mean she had insider knowledge to this shit. If she started asking Laxus about it, Lucy felt like it would be akin to someone using her to store their shit in the Celestial Realm. Not there for the person, but you're there for what the person can offer.

Which didn't settle right with her.

Minerva, Yukino and Rufus were the ones to walk her to the train station to see her off. It was a cheesy move, and all three seemed hellbent on making her as embarrassed as possible. Minerva was shouting about how she knew she messed up but that they could work it out and Yukino was ' _crying_ ' while ' _consoling_ ' the territory mage. Surpisingly, Rufus loudly commented about how if she took off, he'd come after her for child support. That was what made the whole charade break as the ladies all started to laugh.

The ride back home was a long one, but not tiring. If anything, meeting with them and working with Yukino made Lucy all the more adamant about bettering herself. She didn't visit because she had to or because someone on her team made her... She made her own decision, made her own friends, and boy did she feel the happiest she'd ever been in a long while. Maybe someday she'd be able to take joint missions with other guilds, too. Lyon or Chelia, Jura maybe... Maybe even the TriMen. Well, on that one she'd make sure to bring another woman along with her too.

Lost in her thoughts, lost in the sheer possibility of it all, the blonde didn't notice the person sitting on the canal in front of her apartment building. She was too deep, thinking about how she finally had the freedom to _choose_. Up on cloud nine, Lucy wasn't worried about anything else. If anything, she was contented to just... Go home and sleep. She'd taken _so many missions_ in two months time- one of which was an S-Class mission- that she _genuinely_ didn't have to worry about her rent for at _least_ another three months. On the other hand, she was also debating on just jumping into another one because the busier she stayed and the more money she got, the sooner she could have a place to call her own. No rent, no permissions to make changes...

"Luce."

The blonde froze, her hand on her doorknob while the other hand held the key to unlock said door. She turned around at that familiar voice, her eyes wide when they locked with onyx ones. Her voice was nothing more than a whisper, a breath exhaled out.

"Natsu."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note:** Anyway Hi, my name is May and I'm a dumbass. I spent most of this yesterday and today refreshing the views page and the reviews just trying to figure out why nobody's seen or commented on the new chapter. I thought yesterday that FF was fuckin' with me and not showing the reviews- which it has before- buT NOPE. I'm the dumbass who finished this chapter in docs and just didn't bring it over to FF._

 _So I apologize for being late on this. I said Monday and it's being uploaded on Tuesday because I forgot, like a moron. 8') ANYWAY  
_

 _I'll stop rambling isufj_

* * *

"We… We need to talk," he finally choked out.

Her brows furrowed and while she was hesitant, she agreed with a nod. Virgo still had her bags and the only thing she carried was her keyring. If anything, they could help her get away if needed. But there was something… Different… About her partner.

He looked utterly defeated.

The bags under his eyes were so pronounced that the blonde was almost convinced he had black eyes. Like someone had punched him. But there was no bruising. No swelling. Just… Really dark circles. His shoulders were slumped over and he looked so genuinely distraught. His hair was a mess- a lot messier than usual- and the poor guy looked as though he'd just gotten off of a train and only had time to settle his stomach before coming to sit and wait for her. What tore her up was the tears in his eyes.

She took a leap and sat next to him. "What's going on?"

"I'm so, so sorry, Luce…"

Her eyes widened a bit.

"I hurt you not just emotionally but physically… and you're my closest friend… That's not.." His voice cracked and he took a moment to recompose himself. "That's not what partners do. That's not what _friends_ do.."

She sighed, not knowing where to step from here. "...Why? Why did you do it?"

He looked down, covering his eyes with his hair. "I needed to control _something_. Everything… Everything started changing so fast and all at once… I just needed something to stay the same…"

Lucy bit her lower lip as she shook her head. "Nothing _did_ change, Natsu.."

"No, everything changed." It didn't seem like he was budging on that. "I.. I realized I had a mate. Cana told me she talked to you recently… But I loved you so dearly, I thought for sure it would be you… And it wasn't. Our team had been going on missions together, but the dynamic.. It just wasn't the same. You weren't relying on us as much anymore. Wendy started going on solo missions after she realized who her mate was…"

He decided to leave out how Laxus approached him about how to court Lucy.

"Happy even started spending less and less time at home. Erza grew more confident in her person. Gray started pining after someone and came to _me_ for advice. You weren't relying on us anymore… Wendy's grown up… I have a mate I don't know nearly as well as I know you, and you were my first love.. And you just… Weren't destined to be with me. Gramps is talking about retiring soon, Mira isn't a constant barmaid anymore…"

His shoulders shook a little with the force of keeping in the tears that wanted to fall, and while Lucy wanted to comfort him, she genuinely didn't know how.

"I had this foundation of what I thought should happen. Then… It's like the foundation I built that felt like concrete suddenly shattered apart and felt more like glass. I had no footing. I didn't know what to do about it… And when we went on that mission… I couldn't stop myself from seeing Future Lucy again.."

Lucy nodded sadly. "I thought that was the case…"

He choked out a sob. "God, Lucy, I'm so fucking sorry…"

She looked down at her hands but didn't respond right away.

"I'll spend however long it takes to get you back… I don't care if we're not partners anymore, I just… I can't lose you permanently…"

Her brown eyes grew watery at the remark. "I don't… I'm not going anywhere, Natsu," she whispered. But, she wasn't done. "I just don't know if… If I can trust you right now…"

Both of his hands lifted to cover his eyes with the palms of his hands. "I fucked up so badly… I…"

She sighed again. "Natsu, I understand where you're coming from… But your actions… You should have thought more about what you were doing…"

"I know," he whispered back. "I know, and I've been counting my regrets since our last fight…"

Lucy sat there, looking down at the canal water as though it would give her the answers she needed. Her soul and her heart screamed at her, yelled at her to just forgive him and move on… Yet in the same breath, her mind and another part of her soul screamed that he needed to earn the trust back. Bickslow's words echoed in her mind, about how he needed to prove himself first. But then, Erza's words from their poker night also came to mind. How she didn't agree with his actions, but didn't think they were intentional. All in all, Lucy was torn and had no idea what to do or where to go from here.

Her once-partner, who only a few months ago she would have trusted with her very soul, didn't seem to know what to do or say either… Or, maybe he did. She wasn't sure, since he was trying to compose himself from his crying. If anything, she knew he was sincere about it. There were only a small handful of times he's cried in front of anyone. It was probably a Dragon Slayer thing- their dumb alpha personalities making it hard for them to just open up to people.

"I loved you," Natsu said softly. His tone was much softer than she'd ever heard it before. "I loved you so much that I was willing to ruin everything to try to keep you by my side… And it took a while, but I realized that… That wasn't love."

She looked up at him, her head tilted slightly.

He glanced at her and gave a very small, very unstable smile. "I still love you, but I was fooling myself. I thought that if I fought my instincts, fought against my draw to Cana… Maybe… Maybe I could change fate… And maybe I could have, if I actually… If I actually did it right… But fighting against a dragon that lives within you, within your instincts… It drives you insane. It fights you at every turn, and makes you lash out…"

The blonde only seemed more confused but didn't push it.

He sighed. "Remember Fantasia?"

She nodded, already hating where this was going.

Natsu looked up at the partly cloudy sky and ran a trembling hand through his hair. "That came because Laxus was fighting against his instincts. It wasn't until after he came back that he was able to talk to Gajeel, Wendy and I about it and figure out what went wrong…" The fire slayer dropped his hand back to his lap. "He hurt the people he cared most about… And I followed in those footsteps…"

She blinked. "So fighting the instincts means your dragon will force you to fuck shit up?"

He nodded. "Because if we just listened and followed them in the first place, we'd be a lot happier and not have to worry about it."

Lucy shrugged. "Still, it seems a little out there."

"Take what you want from it," he replied, his eyes downcast once more. "I'm just here to apologize… To let you know that it took me so long because I needed… I needed time to think. Time to adjust. I still don't… Know… Exactly where I'll end up anymore… But I'm going to put one foot in front of the other."

"One step at a time," Lucy nodded. She put her hand over his and smiled at him as gently as she could. "That's what we'll do. Take one step at a time. I can forgive you, but I can't forget what's done… I can forgive you, but you'll have to earn that trust back."

He smiled back at her, lifting the hand she wasn't covering with hers to wipe at his cheeks. "Laxus is already making a great impact on you."

She blushed faintly. "What makes you say that?"

"You were always _too_ forgiving," he replied simply. "It felt like forgive and forget with you. Like you were so forgiving you were ready to just…"

"Leap and hope they were there to catch me?"

"Yeah."

It was partially true, though. Lucy liked to believe that a second chance was all some people needed. She knew holding past actions over people's heads gave them no room to grow or to develop past that, and that people just needed a second chance and a path to follow. Some people needed to break out of the mold of their past actions. One thing done seven years ago shouldn't define who a person is in today's time. While she knew that much, even with her first _real_ forgive and forget case- Gajeel- she was _hesitant_. She didn't _want_ to forgive him so quickly and easily.

Now, the slayer was one of her closest friends. In fact, he proved himself to be more trustworthy than a lot of others have.

But all it takes is one misstep.

The blonde didn't want to hold anything over anyone's head, she didn't want one action to hold them down… But now? Now she understood something she hadn't before. Someone could promise you twenty times that they've changed, but until you see it through their actions, their words should be taken with a grain of salt. Gajeel _proved_ himself. The Thunder Legion and Laxus _proved_ themselves. Sting and Rogue and Minerva all _proved_ themselves over time. That? That was a validating feeling.

Trusting someone blindly and getting screwed over? Like during her mission with Levy and Saveya? That _stung_. The older you get, the wiser you are. The blonde completely understood that now, understood a lot of things that were previously lost on her as she pranced around her little fantasy world. Sometimes, you need to be brought back to reality. And, unfortunately, Natsu was the one who brought her back this time.

"I've… Learned a few things over time… But I've mostly been focusing on myself for once." Lucy pulled her keyring out and fingered through the silver and gold found on it. "When you have time to sit and think, to focus on yourself and to better yourself… You learn a lot more than you think you would."

Natsu nodded at this. "I agree… That's what it took for me."

She smiled. "I'm glad you're growing."

"I'm happy you are, too." Natsu smiled at her in a way that seemed sad, longing and loving all in the same breath. "How has it been with Laxus around?"

"Not too different," the lass admitted. "He's kinda been nudging me in the right direction. Showing me that it's okay to focus on myself, showing me how to pick myself up… He's kinda… Kinda amazing."

He laughed a little at that and his eyes danced with mischief. There it was again. He knew something he wasn't telling her. "You know, when we were kids," Natsu looked away from her and down at the canal waters, "he was a big sap. He admitted that when he found the right girl, he'd give up everything for her. That he'd be serious and make her feel loved and special as much as possible."

He didn't miss the way her heart sped up just a bit, or the blush coming to her cheeks.

"He's serious about someone alright."

She punched his arm and he flinched slightly. "Stop embarrassing me."

"Ouch, shit, when did you get the Right Hook from Hell?!"

"Last week. I borrowed it from Satan herself."

"Damn, stay away from Mira when you train. You'll turn into a demon, too."

"Oh, you wish I would."

"No, you're scary enough now."

Their eyes were narrowed at one another, but unlike their failed mission together, they both knew it was in jest. It took less than ten seconds of silence for both parties to start laughing openly at that.

Yet, nothing was said afterward.

The two sat on the edge of the canal, watching the clouds pass as they just enjoyed each other's company. The lass couldn't help but compare it to when she did the very same thing with Laxus. Instead of being in a tangled mess of limbs or leaning against him, they weren't touching one another at all. Instead of her heart singing in joy and comfort, she felt happiness fail to completely blanket over a small, lingering fear. Instead of feeling like the world was perfect and nothing could happen to her, she was hyper-aware of her surroundings..

The two were nothing alike. The two both meant a lot to her, but they stood in different places in her life… And she wasn't even sure if Natsu would regain the place he gave up when it all went down.

"I'll do everything I can to make it up to you," he reminded. "One step at a time."

She nodded. "That's all I ask."

He stood up and offered a hand to her, to help her up. She hesitated, but put her hand in his and let him help her stand as well. "I can honestly say I still love you, but it feels more like a family love."

"Falling for the resident drunkard already?" she teased.

He blushed a bit but shook his head. "I have a feeling she was always there in the back of my mind… But since I noticed her _like that_ , it's been more and more obvious that I don't love you like I know I'll eventually love her. If that makes any sense."

"Perfect sense," she agreed. "But, really, what's going on with Cana?"

"I haven't talked to her since I told her."

"WHAT?!" she shouted, her brows furrowing in slight anger. "And why the hell not?!"

He cringed just a bit and shrugged. "I… Didn't want to burden her. She was already so distraught that we were mates because of what happened on our mission that I wanted to make sure I was on good terms with you again before trying to make that work."

"Well get your ass over to her apartment and take her on a damn date already!"

He looked at her face and smiled that boyish smile she hadn't seen since before Tartaros. "Alright Luigi."

* * *

"I'm just worried I'm getting too deep, too fast…"

Erza leaned back on the couch and looked over her blonde friend critically. "It's been over two months, though."

"But in those two months, we haven't… Spent _a lot_ of time together. Sure, we spend time when we can, but…" Lucy looked down at her toes from her curled up position on the couch. "I don't know… It just feels like I'm already too far in."

Erza knew that Lucy would be drawn to the mage because of his dragon's choosing of her. However, as Natsu had explained to the red head, it would do nothing more than draw her in. The pull couldn't force her to fall for her mate. According to the fire mage, it was entirely plausible for a dragon slayer to have a mate that doesn't even like them.

Her eyes softened, though, and she leaned towards the blonde to put a hand on her shoulder. "Lucy, you have to remember that we're wizards. We do everything in extremes. Our feelings make us stronger, so when we dislike, we hate. When we like, we love."

Lucy sighed for what felt like the ninetieth time. "I just… That's not long…"

Titania leaned back against the arm of the chair and nodded. "To you, it's not. You weren't raised by guild wizards. Sure, the romances in books are always fun and it feels good when they go super slow, but we… We don't have that luxury."

The blonde groaned and his her face in her knees. Of course she knew that the average life expectancy of wizards was drastically lower than non-wizards… Unless you're Warrod. That man's lived through seventeen hundred years, as far as Lucy knew. Nobody knew how old the tree-man was, and nobody really dared to ask either.

Seeing how frustrated her sister was at this whole ordeal, the s-class wizard stood and went to make tea. "Think about it, though, Lucy. Just because you've fallen doesn't mean you have to say anything about it until you're absolutely ready to. Look at Ren and Sherry. When they started dating, officially, neither were ready to drop the L word. Making something official doesn't mean tying yourself to them for life."

Lucy paused at that and internally agreed.

But that wasn't where her fear was stemming from.

"Erza… He's a dragon slayer."

When the red head didn't respond, she continued.

"If… If I'm already this far in… When he finds his mate, he'll… I'll have to see him with someone else…"

Titania was trying to retrace the two blonde's romance in her head and figure out how Lucy hadn't put two and two together yet. Was she really _this_ clueless when it came to her own life? Even Erza saw when she was getting too close to Bacchus and noticed that he'd started _liking_ her… Even though she couldn't really bring herself to return the feelings.

If the S-Class mage could tell, it was confusing how the obviously smarter blonde was painfully oblivious to the whole thing.

"Laxus isn't that kind of guy, Lucy," she said softly.

The blonde wasn't having it though. "But even you were shocked when you found out we were dating… Even though we're not… Uh… Dating. How do I word that to make it sound better…"

"You're dating but you're not official," she supplied.

The celestial mage nodded. "Yeah, that!"

The requip mage sighed heftily. How could she get her friend- her _sister_ \- to trust this without actually coming out and telling her about the mating issue? It wasn't going to be easy, that was for sure. But, a little lightbulb went off in her head at the same time the kettle began to screech.

"He's only a second generation. For all we know, the instincts to mate like that were passed down through teaching- not lacrima. I highly doubt Laxus would get this serious in a relationship with a possibility of someone else being his mate."

 _Jackpot!_

Lucy whined. "But we're not even that serious yet!"

"You are for Laxus' standards," she replied sternly as she brought out two cups of green tea. "Laxus, for the longest time, knew women for one night and one night only. He hasn't pressured you, has spoiled you with dates, and he's been making sure to set time aside for you. He barely sets time aside for his team. That means something."

The blonde groaned again before taking a sip from her tea. "I just… I feel like a fool for falling so fast."

Erza pulled her sister against her. "You're the farthest thing from a fool. You're in love."

"Sounds foolish to me."

Erza lightly bopped the top of her head. "It's not. You can't control what your heart wants."

Lucy curled up on her sister's lap. "Yeah, I figured that out…"

"Let's put it this way. Even if you two become official, there's no rush. There's no rush to say love, there's no rush to move in together, there's no rush to do anything. And if he tries to rush you, I'll put a sword in his gut."

The blonde snorted. "Thanks. Sounds nice."

"I'm serious."

"Oh, I know you are."

"Lucy, you have an innate ability to overthink. You're a top tier tactician and sometimes it's a gift. On jobs, in battle, even in poker or building things. But this? Over thinking will only hurt you more than it will help you."

She rolled her brown eyes. "I'm not used to… To… _Not_ thinking…"

"Then it's time to get outside of your comfort zone. Don't think. Just _feel_."

"Fine… Fine… When are Cana and Levy coming by?"

"In an hour. I told them to give us some time alone first."

"Well… Alright."

Erza sighed. "Because we needed to talk about the Natsu thing. He said you two made up?"

The blonde nodded, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. "We… Kind of did. He apologized and is going to work on making it up… And making me trust him again."

Titania smiled lovingly. "That's definitely a good thing. I was worried there would be no repairing your friendship."

"I don't think there is, really," Lucy replied off handedly. "I know we'll never get back to where we were before… I just hope that wherever we end up, we're both happy with it."

From there it was easy conversation. Talking about the upcoming S-Class Trials, the Games, and what may or may not be happening with Crime Sorciere was a good change of pace for the celestial mage. As much as she'd been talking about herself lately, she could genuinely say that she hated it. On the flip side, though, it wasn't like she had experience having a crush or falling in love… It was new, scary and dangerous territory and she needed as much help as she could get.

Levy and Cana showed up later in the night and the ladies played another game of Texas Hold 'Em… Though Levy wouldn't budge on ten large being her limit. It made things a little less exciting, but the point was to relax with the girls- not to gamble everything away. Levy admitted to having a new crush that had to do with the Crocus Cleanup. Cana and Lucy both laughed and had to ask the blue haired lass if Sting was the best choice for a crush or not.

Levy then pointed out that Sting and Laxus could be brothers. Scar around the eye for their lacrima. Blond spiked hair. Blue eyes. Arrogant and cocky. Confident. Hella powerful.

Lucy didn't like that the tables were flipped on her. If anything, Lucy missed the days she could tease Levy about Gajeel… She wasn't sure exactly what happened there, but it seemed like the little script mage just… Outgrew her affections for the iron slayer. Maybe that's all there was to it. Cana admitted to being a thousand times more happy now that she and Lucy talked, and that Natsu and Lucy made up. Apparently, now it felt less like _sleeping with the enemy_ \- though they hadn't even taken to sleeping together yet.

Erza was excited to say that Crime was going to become legal- no more hiding, running, or scrounging. They'd become a legal guild in less than a week, and they were setting up a rehabilitation plan for criminal mages to be released to them, go through the plan, and come out as changed mages. Which, in all honesty, sounded absolutely amazing.

Though the redhead said nothing about her childhood sweetheart, the other three knew not to push her. Not out of fear, but they all knew she'd been questioning her feelings for a while. They wrapped up the game, Cana and Erza splitting the pot, and parted ways for the night.

It wasn't until Lucy was curled up in bed, staring at the wall, that something happened. Her Lacrima went off, startling her. Still yet, she made good to grab and answer it. What she wasn't expecting was to see Laxus' face on the other end.

"...Laxus?"

" _Don't judge me, I miss you and I thought calling you would be a good idea."_

Her heart fluttered and she felt a bit of warmth rise to her cheeks. "O-Oh… Um… How's your mission going..?"

He smiled, though she could barely see it with how dark it was outside. " _Good, actually. I have a feeling I'm onto what I was looking for."_

"Oh yeah?"

" _Yeah."_

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're still not going to tell me, are you?"

He snorted. " _Absolutely not."_

"Not fair."

" _All's fair in love and war."_

She narrowed her eyes a bit. He laughed at her.

Once he finished his laughing spurt, he smiled warmly at her. " _So how are you doing?"_

Lucy looked over to her window from where she was laying. "Good, actually. Really good. Natsu and I made up… Kinda."

The slayer seemed tense. " _You did?"_

She nodded. "He said you were a good influence on me, since I forgave him but told him he'd need to work to prove himself again."

He sighed in relief and relaxed. " _I can honestly say… I don't think I have ever been called a good influence."_

"No shit, right?"

" _Alright alright, don't rub it in."_

"You said it, not me."

He narrowed his eyes this time. She smirked at him.

Laxus cleared his throat a bit. " _So, I'll call you right before I'm done with this mission… If that's fine. I want to try and get done soon and take you out for your birthday."_

She blushed at this. "You don't have to do that, Laxus…"

" _I don't have to, but I want to."_

She smiled sheepishly and nodded. "...Alright then. Just call me and let me know."

* * *

Lucy was still surprised when she got the call from Laxus the _night_ before her birthday. He told her to be ready to go to the Aquarium by noon and be ready to be out all night. She couldn't hide the excitement bubbling up in her the next morning. In fact, she was so excited, she called Cancer out to do her hair for her. A simple ponytail with enough hair to frame her face, though it was curled in loose, beachy waves. Simple, but enough.

She slipped on a navy blue tank top, a pair of white denim shorts, and a pair of black canvas shoes. A black belt held up the shorts, and on the belt hung her keyring. It was just enough to dress up- in his favorite color despite him liking how red looked on her- while still being casual enough to walk around in all day.

They didn't take the train to Crocus. Instead, he used his magic to get them there as soon as possible. He, of course, had to go out of his way to compliment her on her appearance. She teased that he didn't look too shabby either- wearing a near perfect match to her clothes. A black tank top, a pair of dark blue slacks, and an off-white jacket. When he entwined their fingers, she felt her heart flutter.

Yes, the date was interesting for Lucy. Getting to see all the different kinds of sea life and such was always a treat for her. But more than that, the date was perfect for Laxus. No, he wasn't interested in sea life nearly as much as she was… But he _was_ interested in _her_. The way she'd babble on about random facts of these fish. The way her brown eyes glittered and glimmered in excitement and interest. Every time she grew happier, he felt his heart soar. They were about halfway through the aquarium when her stomach growled.

He laughed a bit.

"We'll stop and grab food before we hit the shark tank."

She spun around so fast that he was impressed she didn't get whiplash. "They have a _shark tank_?!"

He blinked and nodded. "It's a tunnel you walk through. The sharks swim around above and around the tunnel."

Lucy jumped and tugged his arm harshly. "We gotta go see it first!"

Laxus smirked at her childish behavior, but didn't comment on it. He had a nagging feeling that if he pointed out how cute she was being, she'd stop right then and there. That wasn't acceptable to his inner dragon. He, and his dragon both, wanted her to be _herself_ at all times around them. Even this little moment, this small time where she showed her excited side, he could only feel so blessed to have her as a mate.

It almost grossed him out how sappy he'd gotten.

In the moment, he could ignore the entire world. When they were together, he didn't worry about what he was doing or how he was acting. He didn't care that she saw a side of him he tried to keep under lock and key. Well, she had the key, apparently. He loved how homely she felt, how happy she made him, how she was just… Lucy. He was honestly growing to love her more and more, in a way he never anticipated loving anyone. Sure, he had past ideals of his perfect woman but even those ideals couldn't hold a candle to her.

But he was still extremely terrified.

He was scared of losing himself again, of hurting her, of destroying what he'd worked so hard to make happen.. He was scared of losing her, of pushing her too far too fast… He was scared. Terrified. It's why, even though they were nearing three months after the Wyvern Job, he's not done anything outside of kiss her cheek… And let her sleep on his chest, but that wasn't his fault. Or, he felt better telling himself it wasn't his fault. That was more the reality.

He didn't have experience dating like this. So he was going to Freed and Evergreen at nearly every other turn. This date, however, made him the most nervous.

It was the first one he planned on his own.

His gut was twisting in nervousness when she tugged his hand to pull him further into the shark tank. A shadow fell over them. He didn't look up to see the beast swimming over their heads, but rather looked at the awe on Lucy's face. The sparkle in her eyes. The excitement that clearly made her jaw drop, her hand tighten around his, and made her stand on her tiptoes.

She was gorgeous. Seeing her like that made that gross nervous feeling mostly fade.

Mostly.

There was still the problem of the box in his pocket.

"I'd _love_ to get married here," she whispered in her awestruck state.

"Oh yeah?" he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

A blush covered her cheeks when she realized she said it aloud. "I, uh… Yeah. I would. It's just so… Beautiful…"

He lifted his face to act as though he were looking at the sharks with her… But his eyes stayed trained on her. "It is pretty beautiful here, isn't it?"

He was talking about the way the blue waters cast a gorgeous tint to her skin.

She was talking about the sharks.

"I could stay here forever, Laxus… Thank you." Her appreciative tone was accompanied by one of the most breathtaking smiles he'd seen from her.

The knot of emotions that revealed itself to be in his throat had to be gulped down before he spoke. "Anytime you wanna come here, just let me know. We'll clear a date."

She jumped happily and threw herself into his arms.

His inner dragon purred.

"You're the fucking greatest."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her in return. "Anything for you."

That statement made her stay in his arms probably a little longer than necessary. In her defense, she had to make sure she wasn't lit up like a red toned Christmas tree by the time she pulled away. When she finally did, though, her stomach made itself known again. And, again, he laughed.

"Let's go get that bite to eat and we'll come back, alright?"

It was _so obvious_ she seemed torn. So, so very obvious. It was only after her stomach growled _again_ that she conceded and agreed to get food with him. Was it lunch? No, it was four in the afternoon. Was it dinner? No, it was too early to be dinner… Well, whatever. It was food nonetheless.

They ate together, teased each other, and eventually made it back to the shark tank. Again, Lucy found herself struggling to leave, but Laxus eventually managed to pry her away long enough to distract her with other types of fish there. While she was preoccupied by trying to pet the starfish, he made a quick pit stop to talk to an employee.

She found herself whisked away before she was able to get even one pet in.

"I found something else," he explained as he guided her down the halls.

She huffed. "I just wanna pet a damn starfish."

"Add that to the list of things I never thought I'd hear in my life."

"Well, it's better than petting a flapflap. Their tails are deadly."

"Did you pet one anyway?"

"Of course I did."

"Why am I not surprised," he chuckled.

Lucy looked around at their new surroundings, not quite sure _why_ they'd entered another room… Until she heard the small squeak. The little noise made her heart clench, her face both drop and light up, and made her want to cradle the little animal until she died. Of course she knew that squeak- she'd know it anywhere. Her hand left Laxus' as she _sprinted full fucking force_ towards the glass at the back of the room.

He could smell saltwater. And it wasn't the type that the mammals were using to swim around in.

Scared that he'd upset her, he was by her side in a flash. She looked up at him with her wide, chocolate eyes rimmed with tears. "Laxus, they're _so cute_!"

Internally, he sighed deeply. Well, at least she wasn't upset. "I thought you'd like to see them before we left."

"We're leaving so soon?"

"Babe, the Aquarium closes at seven."

Her eyes widened and she mentally asked Horologium about the time. Thirty minutes 'till close. "I didn't realize it was so late…"

"Get as much time as you can in, I've got to run to the bathroom," he said as he excused himself.

He looked back to see her cooing at the sea otters on the other side, his smile softening at the way she cooed so happily at them. No, he _didn't_ have to use the bathroom. Instead, he was rushing to the gift shop as fast as he could without using his magic. Using lightning or electricity based magic in the middle of an aquarium didn't seem like the brightest idea ever. It took him a moment to find his goal, but once he did, he was buying it and rushing back just as fast.

He paused right in front of the door to the Otter House to take a deep, steadying breath before walking back inside. If he came back from the _bathroom_ panting, who knows what the blonde lass would think about that. Nothing good, that was certain. But, he was starting to think otherwise since she hadn't even noticed him. Not even when he was standing _right beside_ her. No, her focus was trained on the Sea variant of her favorite animal.

When an employee approached and asked them to leave because of the time, she sighed and whined about it, but complied nonetheless. Laxus waited until they were just outside of the otter house to put the stuffed animal in her hands. She looked at the little otter plush with wide eyes and looked up to him with that same look.

Gods, she needed to _stop_ being so fucking adorable.

"Bathroom, huh?" she asked, trying to tease him despite the genuine happiness in her voice.

"Eh, close enough."

"The bathrooms were just outside of the door. The gift shop is near the entrance."

"...Close enough."

"You're impossible."

"We've been over this, I'm _charming_."

"Hardly," she snorted as she leaned against his side. He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close to him, not even complaining or commenting on her teasing.

She was _definitely_ getting used to him.

They walked around Crocus for a while after that, looking through various booths getting set up early for the Games. Neither mage knew if Fairy Tail would even enter this year, but it was set after the S-Class trials. Maybe they would, with the whole team comprised of their top mages. Then again, was Gildarts even allowed to enter? Nobody knew.

The guild had begun to rebuild and gain new members since the end of the Alvarez War, so they weren't even sure how many would make the promotion. Last Laxus had checked, there were officially twenty new mages if they included the entry of Saveya. The poor woman had _barely_ managed to get an audience with Her Majesty and gain citizenship through her journey in seeking asylum. It wasn't until tomorrow that the lass would be able to be absolutely officially a member and get her stamp.

After Lucy blew a good three grand on gifts for her friends, they teleported back to Magnolia- right in front of her apartment. She didn't know how much magic that took, and she was honestly a little scared to ask in case it was a lot… So, instead, she wrapped her arms around him.

"Thank you, again."

"Anytime."

Just as she was turning around to leave and enter her apartment, he grabbed her wrist gently.

"Wait."

She paused and turned back around to face him.

He reached into his pocket and fished out the box waiting there. The black box with silver, magic cancelling chains wrapped around it. Something magical was inside, that was for damned sure. "I… Got you something. I finally found what I was looking for. Just…"

She slowly took it from his hand, confused.

"...Wait until I'm gone to open it."

She nodded and leaned up on her toes to kiss his jawline. "Thank you…. Yet again."

He smiled at her and was _gone_.

Whatever it was, it had him nervous.

She didn't know that he was trying to give her the time and space he thought she needed for the gift. Still, as curious as Lucy was, she waited. She went inside, stepped out of her shoes, put away her gifts to wrap or bag later, put the otter plush on her bed, got herself a glass of water, gulped that down, then decided it was time to open the gift. With one last look at her keys, now sitting on the countertop, she nodded to herself.

The lass took a seat at her table and carefully removed the chains on the box. There was a small flicker of doubt- worry that he would have gotten her something she couldn't control and _that's_ why it was chained shut… But that thought _quickly_ left her mind when the chain was off. The familiar thrumming, the pulses, the echoing magic from within told her all she needed to know. He got her a key.

She paused her now frantic excitement to open it in order to text Ever. She needed to know Laxus' address, because she was suddenly hell-bent on _seeing_ him to thank him.

Ever's response was suspiciously fast, but in her excitement, she didn't care. Lucy ripped the lid off of the box. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes, her throat constricted and everything was shoved off of it's axis.

Aquarius.

He found Aquarius' key.

Lucy found herself moving faster than she could blink. She barely had the thought to slam her door shut in her _running_. No shoes, no keys. Nothing mattered more than seeing his face. Than seeing him and making the world right again. Tears streamed and rushed down her face so fast, so freely, that Lucy didn't even register that it was raining. The rain didn't matter. Her tears didn't matter. Her aching feet didn't matter. Nothing mattered at all. The only thing that echoed through her person was the intense need to see his dumb, stupid, attractive, beautiful face.

So, she ran.

She ran and ran, not listening to anything except the rushing blood in her ears. The shouts from people telling her to get inside before she got sick, the people concerned about her lack of shoes and an umbrella. None of it was heard. She knew the area his house was at, but didn't even grab her comm to look for the proper address. No, now she was running on nothing but instinct. And when she felt the familiar charge of the are emanating from a two story house off the beaten path, she didn't even question it. Lucy just made the turn and ran down the gravel driveway.

She slipped, missed her footing, and scraped her knees and hands up on the rocky path, but again, it didn't matter. She needed to see him. She needed him. Not caring about the pain or the blood, she ran forward and up the stairs to his porch. In fact, she barely got up there before she threw herself at the door and began _pounding_ on it. Three harsh and loud knocks later and the door was opened.

Lucy stood there, looking a hot mess. Her hair was in a fritz, mussed by the rain and the wind. Her clothes were soaked, her feet and knees and hands were bloody. But more than that, her eyes were puffy from the tears she'd shed. He, on the other hand, looked like the adonis he always looked. Shirtless, sleep pants, and strong facial features. The only difference was the worry setting into the crease of his brow.

He looked perfect.

"Lucy, what are you-"

His voice snapped her out of it, but that was all he managed to say. She vaulted herself at him, grabbed the back of his jaw near his ears, and pulled his head down. All in less than a second. He was nose-to-nose with her, his eyes wide though hers were shut.

Their lips met and the planets aligned.

Everything she'd been missing in her life suddenly fell in place. She was complete. Her world was back on its axis, stable again, and more stable than she'd ever felt before. While all her life she'd been the one holding the keys and opening gates, she suddenly felt like the lock that his key would open up. Everything- _everything_ \- slid so perfectly into place in that one moment.

When Laxus finally closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her drenched form, she saw stars. She wasn't even thinking when she slipped her tongue out, but he responded too fast for her to pull back. It was obvious she was highly inexperienced, but it made his dragon so happy to know she was sharing all of her firsts with him. Their impromptu makeout session was interrupted by Lucy's need to fucking _breathe_ , not yet used to the motions and how it is entirely possible to breathe even during a makeout session.

Her still watery eyes looked up at him through her lashes.

His smile took her breath away.

"Stay?"

She nodded and buried her face in his chest. "Okay."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note:** Guys, I am so tired. Its my first day off in twelve damned days. I'm so tired, but I wrote most of this on break at work... So thankfully, I can finally update this with what I've been writing on. _

_I love how most of y'all were all "It might be too soon for smut-"_

 _Like, trust me. If I DO add anything like that, it'll be a loooong while until then. There's too much story ground to cover to get anywhere near that point yet, and I'm still not sure if I should even include it. I may just upload a Redux Chapter with the smut in it separate, so it doesn't take away from the story I'm trying to write. Like I said though, It won't be any time soon at all if I do include it. I may just wait until I'm closer and do a poll or something... Who knows where we'll be at that point!_

 _Anyway, I'm now going to be recounting a few hidden points that will make sense and be very important to the plotline later... In the next chapter. If you've been paying attention to the very tiny and very subtle hints I've dropped, by the time you read the next chapter, you'll likely have a good idea for a future plot point. A lot of them tie together, yo._

 _I've typed enough. Onto the story!_

* * *

"Dammit dammit dammit dammit-"

 _ **Crash!**_

Lucy groaned as she rolled over, her brows furrowed. There was a very loud, very obnoxious beeping sound that only seemed to be getting more and more annoying by the second. Laxus was whisper-yelling profanities like he was a sailor in a past life. Something just broke…. It was probably a good idea to get up about now.

There were several confusing thoughts. Why was Laxus in her home? What just broke? Why did her bed feel so huge when she stretched out? Then, she opened her eyes and noticed that no, she _wasn't_ in her apartment. Instead of her painted ceiling, the ceiling in front of her was a sleek matte black. Then, the memories rushed through.

Aquarius.

A pang of joy made her heart leap to her throat. She was sleeping in his bed, where he was laying last night with her after she refused being pulled away from him and he seemed too happy about that. She was in a pair of his clean boxer shorts and a t-shirt of his that fell to her mid thigh. Because her clothes were soaked from the rain. As she sat up, her brain also managed to piece together that the screeching was the fire alarm.

A minor rush in her veins had her rushing out the door of the bedroom and had her wide eyed at the scene in front of her. She couldn't seem to move from her spot at the bottom of the stairs. The blond Slayer froze, a shirt wrapped around his head- more specifically his nose and mouth- and a broken frying pan held in his hands. Split right down the center of the pan. On the stove was one pan with burnt little coals producing an alarming around of smoke, but the more concerning part was the pot of water. The water itself was flaming.

"How the hell did you manage this?!"

"...Good morning. Surprise? I'm not a chef."

She could only laugh at the muffled response. He was thankful to have something covering his cheeks to prevent her from seeing his blush. He still didn't move even after she walked gracefully into the kitchen and _easily_ helped him correct his problems. She put out the smoking coals, which were apparently supposed to be eggs, and used some powder Freed put in his cabinets to put the fire out

"How did you manage to set _water_ on fire?"

He pulled the shirt off his face. "I fucked up okay, I get it."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. Even then, she had a strange twinkle in her eyes that he'd seen before but still refused to acknowledge what it meant. His breath caught in his throat at it, though.

"How about I cook breakfast?"

He sighed and nodded. His head ducked down and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I just wanted to treat you when you woke up like you did for me…"

She giggled and he had to force the blush away. "Don't worry about it, Sparky. I don't mind."

She took another step and tripped over her own foot, falling to her ass on the ground.

"Oh shit, be careful-" Laxus stopped talking.

She already fell.

Telling her to be careful made no sense.

She seemed to be laughing at him, though, so at least something good came of his blunder.

"Throw that away already and go sit down."

Laxus nodded, chucked the broken frying pan into the trash, then sat on the other side of the island bar. Again, it was such a primal pleasure to see her work around the kitchen… But something else lingered beneath it. She was in _his_ house. Wearing _his_ clothes.

He blinked and could only remember her visage from last night. He opened the door to see her hair messy as hell, what he assumed to be a sad glare narrowing her eyes, tears running down her pretty and flushed cheeks… She had dirt in the scrapes on her knees and hands, her feet were horribly dirty and swelling… But in that moment, looking what she would think to be her worst, he couldn't think she looked anything less than glorious. She sought _him_ out. _She_ kissed _him._ She…

She kissed him.

He watched her readjust her still-messy hair into a bun to prevent any strands from getting in the food. Her fingers were nimble and her eyes were happy in a way he hadn't seen before. Even when she first showed up, there was a lingering sadness that he now assumed to be from her father. Now, though? Now, he could see the cute little crinkle at the corners of her eyes, the plush way her cheeks lifted from the smile on her lips and fell to a dimple on each cheek. He could see the way her eyes twinkled in the same way her smile made her face more vibrant. But more than that, he finally saw her _raw_.

There was a small, beauty mark just beneath her left eye he'd never noticed before. The small upturn to her nose. The pouty look to her plush, thick lips. The way small, individual strands of hair curled and stuck up all around her hairline… The cotton shirt she wore threatened to slip off of her right shoulder though it never would. The way her collar bones were just prominent enough… These little observations he never got to make before, or was just too blind to. She directed her smile right at him, locked eyes, and her eyes twinkled more and grew softer.

Stars above, he loved her.

She was gorgeous, the cutest thing to be around, had just enough of a temper, and was growing into herself wonderfully. Lucy had everything in the palms of her hands. She _is_ everything that many strived to be. It choked him up to realize this, and to know further that she was his mate… It was overwhelming, honestly. She could be so adorable at times- especially around Otters, apparently- and still fight back in her own way. She was strong as hell even if she didn't believe it… She was beautiful without trying…

"You okay, Sparky?"

He blinked out of his thoughts and leaned against the island counter. "What makes you think I'm not?"

She snorted again while working near mindlessly on breakfast. "Other than you staring at me and zoning out? The little black smudge on your jaw."

He quickly raised a hand to wipe at the left side of his face. There she was looking like an angel, and he looked messier than ever. "Get it?"

"No," she shook her head and nodded toward the right side of his face. "Other side, right above your stubble."

He narrowed his eyes but wiped at the area. "You saying I need to shave?"

"Maybe. I don't know, I might like the beard."

"What."

She shrugged. "Maybe it would _grow_ on me."

He deadass stared at her while she tried to hold back her smile.

"...Do you have a meeting at 5 o'clock?"

He couldn't help the snort of laughter that left him. He shook his head at her terrible puns and smirked. "...Don't give up your day job?"

"Man, I thought I could be a comedian…"

"Maybe at hardware stores."

She gasped dramatically. "Are you saying I have _dad_ jokes?!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

"Rude!"

"Did I get it though?"

She squinted at him and shook her head. All it took was that little finger, that come hither motion, and he was leaning towards her. She had a pull on him, had him wrapped around her finger, and he was certain she wasn't even aware of it. She quickly wet her thumb under the faucet and lifted it to his face. All he could think about was how she grabbed his face last night and how this felt like a softer version of that. Just her damp thumb wiping his cheek had tingles spreading and goosebumps rising.

"There. Now you don't look like a war criminal."

"Have I _ever_ looked like a war criminal?"

She gave him the _really_ look. "...Do I need to count it out?"

"...No, it's fine. I'll just sit in my cell and be a good boy."

"You better be."

He smirked. "If I'm good, what do I get?"

"Decency and respect."

"Doesn't sound fun."

"Get your mind out of the gutter or I'm shoving a spatula up your ass."

"Kitty's got her claws out, damn girl."

"Waking up to a screaming alarm isn't the best."

"I get it already, I suck at kitchen things."

"Yeah, well, I'll get you back for that."

"An eye for an eye, eh?"

She barked a laugh and sent a mischievous look at him over her shoulder. "Absolutely not. Let it be known that if you take my eye, I'll take _both_ of yours _and_ your dominant arm."

He shuddered, more at the look in her eyes than the words. "...You can be wild when you want to."

She laughed and shrugged. "I dunno… It might just be because I'm more confident nowadays."

"Nah. You were always wild. You just have to remember not to let anyone tame you."

She paused at that, but quickly resumed her work. "Oh, so nobody should tame me?"

"Nope. I'd hate to see this spunk disappear."

"Meh, I'd be okay with it. I'm not much of a dom."

Laxus choked on the air he was breathing and promptly had a thirty second long coughing fit. "...And _you're_ telling _me_ to get my mind out of the gutter?!"

"You're the one who said something about not letting people tame me!"

"I meant your energy, Blondie."

"Well… That's beside the point," she pouted adorably.

His heart skipped.

"That's the whole point, babes."

"Listen, I've done nothing to warrant you calling me out like this."

Their banter moved on from there, and though both parties wanted to _say_ everything was fine… There was an underlying tension. An undercurrent of awkwardness that neither wanted to bring up nor address. Where did this leave them? What about _them_ has changed? Has anything changed? In fact, it wasn't until Lucy got her clothes out of his dryer and got ready to go that anything happened.

Lucy looked up at him from the doorway, an embarrassed flush coloring her cheeks. "I wish I had at least gotten shoes…"

Laxus leaned against the frame. "I can port you home?"

"No, don't worry about it. I'll be fine." She smiled. "I can handle it. Besides, I have a contract to renew."

He smiled back and she _still_ couldn't get over how gorgeous his real smile was. "Good luck."

Lucy paused as she was turning around.

 _Don't think. Feel. Go with your gut._

She slipped her hand into his and tugged it down a bit. He raised a curious brow, but leaned down a bit. He was truly shocked when she placed a kiss, small and gentle, to the corner of his mouth.

"Thank you. For everything."

By the time he'd snapped out of his stupor, she wasn't even in his driveway anymore.

* * *

Lucy looked at the filled bathtub with tears in her eyes. This was all to familiar. This was the scene that started it all. Summoning _her_ to play in the bath.. But it was fitting. Fitting for Lucy, fitting for _her_ , fitting for them. So, with blurred vision, Lucy stuck the key in the water and sniffled.

She should have used the proper incantation and summoned the mermaid respectably, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, all that came out was a broken, choked out ".. Aquarius?"

The blonde felt the pull of magic and, without hesitation, her first spirit was there. The two looked at one another with teary eyes. "...I always hoped my key would be back in your bratty hands."

Lucy laughed, though it turned to a sob as she then threw herself into the spirit's awaiting arms. They sat there, over the edge of the tub, just embracing one another. Lucy openly cried, overwhelmed with happiness and sadness both, and the mermaid didn't bother pushing her away. No, she held tight to the young woman she's watched over the years and rubbed her back soothingly while she cried. When the blonde pulled back from her crying fit, she wasn't ashamed to wipe at her eyes.

"So where did my key end up?" Aquarius asked, trying to make conversation before it got really tense.

The woman shrugged. "I don't know…"

The spirit snorted and rolled her eyes. "I know you're blonde, but don't put that dumb blonde stereotype to truth."

Lucy shook her head, a flush coloring her cheeks much darker than the crying did. "No… Um… My not-boyfriend-but-kind-of-boyfriend found your key for me…"

This made the mermaid pause, her eyes widening almost comically. "You're telling me that the gossip surrounding Virgo and that pesky Lion was right?! The lightning one?!"

The blonde covered her face with her hands and nodded. There was something rather embarrassing about this very moment. It was akin to what Lucy could only think getting found out by your overbearing mother felt like. But when you got found out while your boyfriend was climbing out of the window. Perhaps it was because she equated Aquarius much to a mother figure in a very weak way, but it was there nonetheless. Something about having this person find out this way was almost too embarrassing for her to handle.

There was the lingering thought, though… Just _what_ was Loke and Virgo telling everyone? About her date? ...About Laxus in general? Oh, she felt her hackles rise for less than a second defensively. She knew Loke and Laxus shared a similar past when it came to women, and could only think of the horrible things her Lion could be saying about him. Things even she didn't know… But at the same time, he would have spoken up sooner if he had a problem with Laxus… This entire situation was confusing enough for Lucy without them butting in, too.

"Holy… Honey, you _know_ he's serious, right?"

She hesitated, but nodded.

The spirit saw through it and crossed her arms. "Lucille Elenora Heartfilia."

The lass cringed and peeked through her fingers.

She hated her full name.

Aquarius' eyes were surprisingly soft when Lucy finally met them. "Someone who shares the burden and tries to remedy something they weren't even a part of? You're telling me that you don't think someone who went far out of their own way to find a key they couldn't even use… You're telling me that you don't think they're serious."

"I… I want to think that…"

"What's going on, brat, let it out already."

The blonde sunk down on the outside edge of the tub, taking only a few seconds to sit on her rear. "I'm questioning my own feelings and hoping he's not as serious as people say he is so I don't feel pressured."

The mermaid nodded sagely. "I understand… Has anyone told you that you have a nasty habit of overthinking?"

"...Recently, actually."

"Well, two for two. It's true."

"That helps exactly nothing."

"But it _should_ help everything," Aquarius pushed. She sunk in the tub, resting her arms on the lip of the tub and laying her head on her arms. "Honey, let's not talk about _his_ feelings. How about you tell me about _yours_. Maybe we can figure something out."

Lucy groaned. "Maybe I don't _wanna_ talk about it…"

"Maybe you should stop acting like a spoiled brat."

Brown eyes narrowed sharply.

Navy eyes narrowed back.

It was _tense_ for a moment before they both broke out into grins. It was only a few years apart, but it was enough for each to miss the other dearly.

"Where do I even start…"

"Not at the beginning," the spirit waved her hand dismissively. "Since the gossip Virgo and Pervert is confirmed, I'm pretty sure I know what happened up until the recent date."

"He took me to an aquarium," the blonde said. "We walked around all day, I got to pet a flapflap, see the sea otters, and even spent a long time in the shark tank."

"Ooh, sounds nice~"

"It was," she agreed. "He even got me an otter plush when we left because I didn't get to spend a lot of time with them." The lass looked towards the door for a second before looking at her lap. "He brought me home and gave me your key in a box covered in magic cancelling chains so I couldn't feel the key inside… I was only able to open the box before chasing him down."

Aquarius smiled knowingly at this.

Lucy's face only seemed to get redder. "He opened the door and he.. He… He's gorgeous, Aquee… Mega gorgeous… And when he spoke I just… I… I jumped on him and kissed him."

"Ooooh! Girl's growin' up!"

Lucy groaned at the commentary. She blinked and took a deep breath. "I… I didn't want to be alone, so he let me sleep next to him… And-" she snorted, "-tried to make breakfast for me… But burned the eggs so badly the smoke alarm went off and woke me up."

The mermaid barked a laugh and leaned in. "How bad?"

"Water on fire- not the pan, a different pan split in half, and _coals_ on the stove."

"Ouch… Keep him out of the kitchen maybe?"

"Yeah, I plan on it."

"Good girl. Keep going."

Lucy shrugged and motioned to the room. "That's where we are now. I came home and changed, showered, filled the tub and summoned you."

"But you kissed him," she pushed.

The blonde nodded.

"Why."

That made her stop and think. _Why_? Why _did_ she kiss him? But, instead of overthinking, the first words out of her mouth came from her heart. "Because he makes the world feel steady again."

The mermaid put her hands on Lucy's cheeks and turned her head so that they were face to face- with ample room between, obviously. "You're in love."

Lucy didn't even cringe away this time. "I am…"

"But you're hesitant."

Again, no hesitation. "I am."

"Why?"

And, once again, she said the first words that came to mind. "He's a dragon slayer… I don't want to have to give him up if he finds his mate." After it was said, the blonde visibly flinched. Her face looked as though she just took a bite out of a lemon or a durian. Soured and confused. Those words didn't feel right on her tongue, didn't _feel_ like that was the answer she needed to give. But _was_ there anything else…?

Yes, there was.

"I'm nervous," she corrected. That felt more truthful. "I've never been in this situation before and I have no idea what to do or what not to do…"

"So you're scared."

That sounded _right_.

So, Lucy nodded.

Aquarius sighed and let go of her face to pat her head a bit. "I can't help you through your fears, but I can share some advice. Nobody knows what getting into a relationship is like. Even if you _had_ dated someone before, dating _him_ would be different than dating… Say… Natsu."

Lucy made a face at this.

The mermaid rolled her eyes. "Follow me on this. If you dated Natsu, you'd have to deal with certain situations that you wouldn't have to deal with when dating…"

"Laxus."

"Dating Laxus. Laxus sounds like he'd go to the ends of the world for you, or pamper you in a way that makes you feel happy instead of feeling like a doll. I'd think Natsu would be more… Protective. More prone to taking you halfway across the world at the last minute with no preparing. More likely to get you both in trouble with his impulses. He needs someone who could say no and deal with those impulses, but that aside… Laxus doesn't sound that way."

Lucy nodded, following her thus far.

The spirit flipped her hair over her shoulder. "So on one hand, you're preparing for dinner dates and dates to the aquarium. With Natsu, I feel like you'd be preparing for adventure, a date on a boat because it sounds romantic but then he'd throw up on you, or a date to something like… One of those laser arcades."

The blonde nodded and looked down at her hands to think about it.

The spirit continued. "So instead of having a relationship where your boyfriend is clingy, constantly breaking in, or constantly taking jobs… You have one where you're more relaxed, it's going at a nice pace for wizards, and you have time to think through everything."

"So dating Laxus would always be a different experience than dating someone else?"

"Exactly. It's all about learning as you go."

Lucy nodded, feeling a lot better about her own feelings. Granted she wasn't _confident_ in her feelings yet, she at least felt more comfortable about how she felt. "...But isn't it too soon?"

"Lucille. A prime dating period before getting comfortable with the idea of love differs from person to person. I fell in love with Scorpio in less than a month, but took my time in making sure we were going to last before ever telling him that. And we're immortal. Leo is still dancing around Aries, your guildmates Bisca and Alzack took two years to get together, use that word, get married and have a daughter… Two years. That's considered a short amount of time for most people."

"But that's the thing… Isn't it a short time for me, too?"

"Let me repeat. I'm _immortal_ and fell in love with my boyfriend of _seven hundred years_ in _less than a month_ ," she deadpanned.

The blonde nodded and took a deep breath again. "...So I'm still overthinking?"

"Way too much… But you're trying to feel more, which is a good thing. Now it's about finding balance."

The lass nodded again and sighed. She and Aquarius just sat there for another thirty minutes, just silent and relaxing with one another. Nothing needed to be said, so nothing was said. Until the mermaid was getting ready to leave, that is.

"Scorpio is getting worried, I should get back…"

The blonde nodded and smiled. "Same contract?"

Aquarius nodded. "Same one."

* * *

"Thank you all for assembling," Makarov said through his aging voice. The entire guild- having _blown up_ in size since the last war- was silent for him as he spoke. Not a single member was missing, and that made tensions rise.

"I have three announcements that I need you all to pay very close attention to," he continued. He got nods from most everyone, but not a single soul spoke a word. "First, let's get the pressing news out of the way. Come my birthday, December Ninth, I will be stepping down from my position."

Murmurs and saddened words were quietly shared, but in a room with well over a hundred people in it, the once quiet murmurs turned to a dull roar. The short man knocked his staff loudly against the wood of the floor of the _third_ story (a floor with only the master's office on it), and all fell quiet once more.

"We'll have an official ceremony the Eighth and the paperwork will be finalized on my birthday. I'm not leaving you brats, just putting the damned paperwork you little turds rack up onto someone else." He smiled at the laughs being had at that, as well as the obvious groaning coming from his blond grandson. "The second announcement is arguably the most important. Laxus will be taking over for me."

To the slayer's surprise, an _uproar_ of a cheer was had at this.

Lucy delighted in the way his eyes locked with hers as she loudly cheered along for him.

The blush that rose to his cheeks was so faint that she _hoped_ it was only for her eyes.

"And lastly," the elderly man called out. Again, everyone fell silent. "I've been overseeing the creation of something important, and it will be the last time I have a hand in this decision. We have, currently, one hundred and thirty eight members to our beloved guild. The growth in size, and the growth of a few of our members, lead to this decision. The S-Class Trials have been decided. As have the competitors."

The silence was deafening.

You could cut the tension with a knife.

"Laxus, Erza, Mirajane, Gildarts and I have all spoken at length about this year's trials and how they should be decided. We decided on four factors; mind, body, strategy and maturity. To qualify for this year's trials, you had to mark all four factors. You have to have a sharp mind, a strong body, good strategy tactics, and you had to have matured and grown over time. We've also decided that not one, not two, but _four_ mages will be promoted this year. However, to qualify for upcoming years, it will then be determined based on your growth in these four categories throughout the year… And there may even be years where no mages are promoted."

Again, a dull roar broke out on the mages' whispers and soft talking about why the sudden change… Though it was mostly from the older mages who had been in the guild a long time. The newer mages were mostly speaking about how it should have been this way from the beginning- which, they weren't wrong.

"Save the date. July thirtieth through August second . That's when the physical tests will happen." The elderly man looked around the floors beneath his view to see the many children nodding and taking note down. "The eight qualifiers are: Gray Fullbuster."

Cheers erupted for the ice mage as he pumped a fist to the air.

"Gajeel Redfox."

The iron slayer laughed lowly and shoved a new piece of metal into his mouth at the cheers.

"Juvia Lockser."

The water mage blinked twice, pointed at herself confused, and blinked twice more. She didn't understand _how_ she was up for promotion, but didn't move to stop the cheers.

"Cana Alberona."

The brunette _dropped_ her barrel from her hands and looked up at the man with wide, concerned eyes… But, again, didn't stop the cheers.

"Freed Justine."

The green haired mage stood and bowed to the master, ignoring the rather uproarous cheers. It seemed that with every newly announced mage, the overall cheers only seemed to get louder and louder.

"Natsu Dragneel."

Though the cheers _did_ get louder, many were shocked to see the fire slayer in the group. Including the fire mage himself. With his recent actions, they didn't think he'd be in the chosen few, but the soft look in the master's eyes made his heart swell in joy and happiness. At least this was a chance to prove he's learned not just over the years, but also since his falling out and subsequent apology to his blonde partner. This was the moment he needed.

"Wendy Marvell."

Everyone seemed to _screech_ for the young woman- the loudest being her family like teammates. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy and Erza were _obviously_ the loudest, though Mira and Asuka were close seconds. The healer seemed shy and sheepish, but smiled and accepted the promotion opportunity with a smile on her face.

"And Lucy Heartfilia."

The blonde, previously cheering for her friends, found herself frozen.

Well, while she didn't ask for it, she wasn't going to deny the opportunity either.

Ignoring the cheers, she warily looked at Laxus to see if he had anything to do with it. He was clapping and smirking, but otherwise just shook his head at her questioning look. He then pointed to Erza, as though explaining who had suggested her name be put up in the first place. Her eyes narrowed and she didn't even have to voice her question- if it wasn't Lucy, who did Laxus offer? To which he shrugged and mouthed _Wendy_.

Weirdly enough, that caused Lucy's heart to patter pitifully again.

It was a _stupid_ thought that she _knew_ was a wrong assumption… But the weirdly lingering thought that he was taking care of _her_ family, that he was accepting her family as his… It made her happy. It wasn't the case and she knew it wasn't, but it was still a warming feeling.

Makarov clanged his staff against the floor again to get everyone's attentions. "This will be a tournament style S-Class trial. Every mage will have at least two matches. The brackets will be chosen by the Cell Division. Saveya? If you would."

The lavender haired woman nodded and stepped forward from her station on the second floor. Next to her was a Lacrima held by a strange staff in her right hand. Her eyes shifted from violet to fuchsia, glowing a vivid pink, and the Lacrima started up. Much like the Magic Power Finder (or, the MPF) during the last Magic Games they entered did, as soon as magic hit the lacrima at the top of the staff, a slot-like image appeared above it. Instead of numbers, though, it was like playing slots at the casino with people's names.

Her eyes triggered an illusion of a tournament styled bracket to hover in front of her.

The first name was Juvia. Then was Natsu.

Instead of both being added to the same side to have the first fight against each other, they were put at the top slot of either side of the bracket. The third name was Lucy's. She was put beneath Juvia, meaning the first fight of the day would be the celestial mage against the water mage. The two locked eyes from across the crowded room and shared a nod. They'd both put forth maximum effort and hold nothing back from one another.

Then was Gajeel's name. Set to fight Natsu.

The next two names, in order, were Gray then Wendy. Again, Gray was put on the left side while Wendy was put on the right side. Freed's name was drawn next, for him to fight against the ice make mage, and that left Cana to fight against Wendy.

"How this will work, for every mage to have at least two battles, is as such," Saveya called out.

A second bracket was added, this time only having four slots on either side. Nobody's names were added right away, though.

"The first day will have four battles," she announced and the outside four pairs were illuminated to shine a pink color instead of the black color they were before. "Lucy and Juvia will fight first. Then, Natsu and Gajeel. Gray and Freed will fight third, and the last match goes to Wendy and Cana. The winners will move on in this bracket. The losers will be added to the second bracket."

As an example, the top names 'moved on' in the bracket, their names staying pink while the 'losers' had turned back to black. On the second bracket, the bottom names were added, leaving Lucy against Freed on the left, and Gajeel against Cana on the right.

"On day two, we'll see the 'losers' face off first. In this example, Freed and Lucy will fight first. Gajeel and Cana would go second. Then, we'd get back to the main bracket. Juvia against Gray, followed by Natsu against Wendy." Again, the dream mage had the top names move on from there. "The final day, we'll have only two battles. In this example, it will be Lucy against Gajeel first- as they're in the secondary bracket- and Juvia against Natsu second."

The mages all seemed to be following, and those who weren't were getting explanations from the others around them. At least everyone would understand. Makarov then spoke up.

"The further you get in the brackets, the more likely you'll be promoted. It doesn't matter if you're in the second bracket or not. By getting the farthest, you'll have _three_ opportunities to prove yourself, whereas everyone else only gets _two_. But, it's not guaranteed that those who make it to the final bracket will make it. It depends on your skill level, your proof of strength and strategy, and your determination. If you prove yourself to us better in two battles and someone else failed to prove themself in three, you'd be promoted instead of them. You have around two weeks to train for this. Good luck."

Lucy quickly turned to Cana, who seemed to be looking at the brackets sadly.

"What are you going to do if you have to fight Natsu?"

The brunette blinked and seemed to only get sadder. "I… I don't know…"

Lucy smiled sadly at her and nodded. "I don't think I'd be able to, if I were in your situation…"

"Yea… I just… I'd rather fight Natsu than Wendy, though."

"Fair point."

The blonde then looked to her pink haired partner who was also looking a little sadly at the illusion made by their newest member. She could only assume that he was wondering how he'd be able to fight his mate, should it come to that.

Lucy looked, then, towards the bar she was sitting at. Behind the bar was Lisanna, Mira, Kinana, and a newer barmaid named Jade. While three of them talked, Lisanna was flirting with Laki for what felt like the ninetieth time. When she finally caught Jade's blue eyes, she motioned for the younger coin mage to come here. Lucy ordered a smoothie, and complimented the beach waves the young lass had her emerald green hair in. The lass was no older than Wendy- in fact, she was only two months younger than the sky maiden- but she was no less a member of her family.

Her eyes swept the guild, looking through her older friends and her newer ones. A lot of the newer members clung together, while the older ones were talking amongst themselves about the changes to the s-class system and the matches that were coming up. She _did_ see Max and Warren talking to a few of the newer men- probably explaining the system they used to have- and saw Bickslow hanging from the third floor rafters to dangle and hang in front of Saveya while speaking to her about Stars Know What.

Jade brought her back the smoothie, and she settled on talking to Kinana for a few minutes. Crime Sorciere were apparently becoming a legal instead of breaking up, but they'll be in Old Town to _replace_ Phantom Lord. After they fell, apparently the townstead had many guilds rise and fall, none really ever staying for more than two years. So, Crime was going there to possibly become permanent. As people started talking more, the wall of sound got louder and louder. The blonde barely finished her smoothie and excused herself from the conversation because of a growing headache before she heard someone scream at someone else for shoving them.

The guild broke out into a cacophony of noise after that, a brawl breaking out, and Lucy found herself slipping outside for something a little quieter. As soon as she was out of the doors, her head stopped tingling in pain. A mild sliver of it remained, but it was mostly gone. And, as soon as it was gone, her thoughts flooded in.

Her first match was against Juvia… That wasn't going to go over well. Her next fight was against either Gray or Freed, and both were intensely strong mages. Who knows who she would end up fighting _if_ she made it to the finals… Three dragon slayers were on the other side of the bracket, after all. Stars, that was cruel to Cana- being placed in a bracket with only dragon slayers as a holder mage… But that was the way the cards fell, as the Wicca would say. Still, no matter who she would fight, it wouldn't be easy by any stretch.

She needed help, dearly, to train for at least one of these two weeks, and nobody was really coming to mind. Freed would claim his team- and probably her not-so-boyfriend too… Levy would be snatched up by Gajeel for some strategy training. Natsu and Cana might train together, but she wasn't sure. If they didn't, Natsu would claim Gildarts and Cana would steal Mirajane. She saw Juvia approaching Erza before she stepped out, too.

Gray and Wendy were probably going to take off for Lamia Scale…

Lucy blinked at that thought, then quickly whipped out her comm.

Once she heard the dial tone, she shifted her weight from one foot to another. Finally, her sister Celestial Mage picked up the phone.

" _Lucy? What's up?"_

"Where are you?"

" _I'm in a team meeting-"_

"I need help."

Yukino paused and nodded, but it was Orga's voice in the background that was heard. " _What can we do for ya, Shortstack?"_

The blonde shifted her weight from one foot to another. "I'm up for promotion. Along with Freed, three dragon slayers, Juvia, Gray and Cana. I need to train, but I need to be away from the others when I do."

" _Who are you wanting to help you?"_ Yukino asked.

"Rufus would be best for imitating Freed… From what little I've seen, they have similar mind structures. The Twin Dorkasses for Gaj, Natsu and Wen-Wen."

" _Thanks a lot, ass,"_ Sting snarked.

"Minnie and Orga could help for the stronger people like Natsu and Gaj, and Yuki- you know my magic best. I'd like a little time with everyone."

Rogue popped up behind the woman on the screen. " _Sounds okay to me. Two weeks?"_

"I need to spend at least one of those with you all."

" _Let's shoot for ten days. That gives you four to wind down and relax a little before taking the test,"_ Minerva said from somewhere off screen.

" _Thirteen would be ideal. Lucy and Yukino could work during the morning every day, and the rest of us will schedule according to how well she does on the first day. We'll each spar for five minutes- no more, no less- and get a feel for where we could each help her out and divide that time as necessary."_ Monologue from the only Rufus Lore. Because of course he'd go a little farther than necessary right off the bat.

" _How many days do you have?"_ Yukino asked.

Lucy thought about it for less than a second. "Including today? Sixteen days. I'll need to be home on the sixteenth day- the thirtieth- to sleep at home and be here to take off early on the thirty first."

" _It would be best to get here as soon as possible."_

" _Yeah, we can get the spars out of the way today and work on a schedule to start tomorrow,"_ Orga agreed, nodding at the memory mage.

The blonde smiled and nodded. "Alright, that works. I'll get there as soon as I can."

" _See you soon, Lucy. Love you!"_ Yukino waved at the screen.

Lucy smiled brightly. "Love you, too. I'll be there ASAP, sis!"

The blonde smiled at the now silent comm in her hands. So wrapped up in her own thoughts and actions, she didn't notice the hulking blond slayer standing behind her. So, when he put his hand on her shoulder, she shrieked and grabbed his hand. As reflex, she pulled the hand harshly enough to get his body on her shoulder, then used her shoulder to continue the momentum and pull the offender around in front of her. As per usual in this situation, he fell on his back, and her foot came up to add pressure to shoulder of the hand she still held. His shoulder and back were now in a damn hefty amount of pain.

He looked up to see her brown eyes widened in shock. "L-Laxus?! Why would you do that!"

Lucy didn't notice the snickering in the distance, but his hearing clearly picked up on it. People were watching them. Well… He'd give them a show. "I thought you felt me behind you."

She shook her head and pulled her foot away from his shoulder to keep from pulling it out of socket. Then, the blonde held her hand out for him to take. "I was on the phone in front of, arguably, the safest building in the kingdom. I wasn't paying attention."

"I'd say you need to pay attention more, but my back is telling me otherwise," he commented.

She sighed and shook her hand a little. She was trying to urge him to take her hand so she could help him up. "I'm sorry, but when I get freaked out like that, it's my first reaction to just… Fling."

He barked a laugh, but didn't allow himself to laugh further. Not in front of their eaves droppers. He slipped his hand into hers, but instead of using her to help himself, he pulled her down atop of him. She yelped as she fell face-first into his chest.

The lass sat up, her ass on his lower chest now, and glared at him as she flipped her hair back. "Asshole! Don't yank me down!"

"You didn't have a problem with it the other night," he remarked with a wolfish grin. The two blondes knew that he was referring to trying to keep her in bed as a cuddle buddy when she got embarrassed and tried to leave. Their eavesdroppers? Nah, they didn't know that.

She rolled her eyes, not as embarrassed by his words as she would have been the first time they hung out. "Even if I did, your arms are like cement blocks."

"Calling me fat again?"

"Maybe."

They smiled at one another, and the slayer briefly forgot they had an audience. As much as he wanted to stay lost in her chocolate eyes, he didn't know how soft he looked and refused their onlookers from seeing that face anymore. "You're already leaving?" he asked, his brows furrowing as his face returned to its usual state.

But that didn't hide the sadness in his eyes.

The sadness Lucy clearly saw.

She bit her lower lip and nodded. "I am. I have to try. If I don't, it's not just _me_ I'll be letting down… All of the others up for promotion, too."

He nodded in understanding, but she still saw that sadness lingering there.

She hated it.

She loathed that he was upset, hated that it was because of her (or rather, because she wasn't going to be home), and she despised the fact that she even cared this much. But her heart won out. After hearing that it was only going to make it harder if she over thought it, she had to take a second to hand her actions over to her heart. Her hand lightly slipped over his jawline- much like she did the morning she left his house.

Her hair fell like a veil to partially hide both blondes from their onlookers.

"It's only two weeks. I'll be home again soon."

A breath caught in his lungs. He wasn't sure how to react to how she seemed to look through directly to his soul and read him like a book. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. But it genuinely startled him. "I know… I'm just getting spoiled."

Lucy smiled softly and ran her hand up the side of his face so her fingers could easily card through his hair. "We could… We could always go out when all of this is over..?"

He smiled back, hoping their eavesdroppers couldn't see it. "Sounds like a good plan."

They just got _lost_ again, for a good and solid sixty seconds. Neither said anything, neither moved, and neither looked away. But, tension rose when Laxus spoke up- wanting his onlookers to _leave_ already. "You should probably get packing…"

"Yeah…" she agreed.

 _Follow your heart. Feel, don't think._

Lucy leaned down and pressed another gentle and small kiss to the corner of his mouth.

She stood up afterward, faster than Laxus could get his arm to work and pull her for a real kiss again. "I'll call you when I'm coming home~" she called as she ran down the pathway.

He slowly sat up, his weight on his elbows since he was still too shocked and lazy to actually get up. While initially startled by a singular pair of footsteps drawing closer, the familiar scent caused his shoulders to both tense and relax at the same time. Not sure how that was possible, but it happened nonetheless.

"She's a fine young woman," came Makarov's voice.

He nodded in agreement. "She is."

"She not a plaything."

He nodded again. "She's not."

He knew his grandfather was looking at him cautiously. He's seen and felt that look so many times, he could probably be awoken from a dead sleep with that damned look.

"She's your mate."

"She is."

At that, the feel of the look vanished. He looked up to see his grandfather smiling with teary eyes in the direction the blonde bombshell took off in. "I'm glad. I'm proud of you, son."

He paused, not sure how to feel… But there was happiness and joy in his chest suddenly.

"...Thanks, Jiji."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note:**_ _So, I'm back for yet another chapter! I hope you guys like this one, because we're about to hit another milestone in the story. There are still a lot of things to cover, but we're coming up on Plot Time Central. There was one 'end game' idea for this story and only one of them, and we're finally taking one of the like... Five steps it'll take to get to the Big End Story Thing._

 _We have a LOT of strings left untied, and I can't help but ask this of y'all:_

 _Could you comment with what you think of the strings you KNOW are untied? Do you have any ideas on what's going to happen next? c;_

 _I'm going to wait until we hit at LEAST 180 comments before posting the new chapter, so these questions will hopefully give you incentive to comment and get the next chapter out sooner! (But at the same time, I'm hoping that will give me enough time to finish the next one dsjf... I guess this is a double edged sword...)_

 _And we're also inching a lot closer to actual, official, LaxLu. I love you all and hope you're ready for how they get together~ (Keep an eye out on the next threeish chapters for that~)_

* * *

Training with the Sabers was a _lot_ harder than Lucy had anticipated.

Rogue and Sting sparred with her together. In her opinion, two against one was incredibly unfair- but they weren't having any of her complaints. Rufus was a tactician and had a _plethora_ of memorized magics. Minerva fought like playing chess, and even though her tactical advantages were slim, her power wasn't anything to sneeze at. She couldn't yet beat any of them, and currently, she was realizing why Orga was considered the strongest mage of Sabertooth when using his god slaying magic. In fact, she could tell he was holding back.

Her brown eyes looked up at the hulking god slayer in front of her, wondering what her next move should be. She was down on one knee, her arms felt like lead bricks and she still felt the residual twitches in her limbs from his lightning magic. On the sidelines, as expected, was Rufus. This was only her fourth day fighting, yet she already felt so much stronger than when she came. The man truly was a genius when coming up with things like training schedules and nobody could knock him for it.

All he did was watch. Watch how she got knocked around and figure out how she could bounce back, learn different approaches, and counter what was thrown her way. To her already tactical mind, adding the advice from the memory mage made her tactics near perfect… Now, it was all about execution. Flexibility, execution, and actual prowess.

Her eyes refocused on the god slayer after zoning out.

Orga kept his chin up as he looked down at her. "Get up."

She groaned and sluggishly tried to move her leg enough without it twitching like crazy so she could stand up again. It took a while, but she managed it.

"You never take a knee in battle. Never."

She groaned again and fingered through her keys, but stopped when he held up a hand.

"Take a second to breathe. Let me ask you: why do you want this?"

The blonde shook her head. "I don't. I just don't want to let anyone down."

"You _do_ want it," he corrected and narrowed his eyes. "Why."

She threw her arms up despite the muscle twitches in her biceps. "I don't!"

"You _**do**_! You wouldn't be standing if you didn't!"

She stopped and thought about that. It was mostly true. This was _training_ , and she could tell them to stop at any time… But she wasn't. No, she didn't want to disappoint anyone… But she could say three hours a day was enough. She wasn't. She was forcing them to push her past her limits every time she fought someone else. Thankfully, this was the last spar of the day… But still. He was right on some level. Why _did_ she want it so badly?

"...I want to prove to people that they've been wrong," she said as her eyes hardened. "I want them to see my spirits, the power we have together- as a team- and realize that holder mages can kick major ass. I want my guildmates to look at me and be _proud_. I want…" She paused, realizing the next words were going to be about the blond slayer giving her confusing problems.

 _I want to stand beside Laxus, not behind him._

"I want everyone to know that I'm not a woman who will roll over for anyone. That I'm a force of nature they'll have to face if they hurt my loved ones. That I'm someone people can rely on."

The god slayer smirked wildly and nodded. "There it is, Shortstack. Keep that at your heart and let that pride run wild. Don't let anyone tame it."

 _Don't let anyone tame you._

Lucy nodded, taking that one statement a lot more seriously than she did when Laxus told her nearly the same thing. It was most likely because Laxus was the one to use that phrase first, and someone else completely echoed it…. But that was food for another day's thought. His fists lit up with the weirdly bright black lightning his magic encompassed. Her eyes went from his hands to his eyes to see a challenge there. She met his lightning with an instinctual star dress of her own.

She was running low on magic. She was running out of stamina. There's no way she'd last much longer… But there was _one thing_ about that. In Scorpio's star dress, she put a thumb on Loke's key. Her heart resounded in question. His key glowed in acceptance.

She smirked.

"Rule number one of battle," Lucy called out as she lifted the lion's key. "Never go in without a few pocket aces!"

Orga met her smirk with a wild one of his own. "Hell yeah, unleash the beast! Run wild, Shortstack!" A black haze began emanating from around him. It built up to a thick yet semi transparent black fog. Lucy could see the black lightning jumping around the haze as though it were storm clouds. At this, she had to remind herself to train with Laxus. Orga sure as hell wasn't a pushover. However the dragon slayer beat him at the Games, in her mind at the very moment, had to have been a fluke.

Sand lifted from the topsoil, swirling lazily around the blonde. The specks of sand seemed like gold glitter, scattered on the winds circling the lass. It gave a perfect look of their spar being light versus dark. Had it been a performance, it was already stunning… But it wasn't a performance. Lucy lifted her hand.

Rufus couldn't take his eyes away from the field. True, the one type magic he could never _remember_ was holder magic, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep the memories of what it could do. Their Fairy friend had already far exceeded his expectations on Celestial Magic, as well as already surprised them all with how effortless it was for her to spar with them all.

It felt like every battle proved Lucy to be much stronger than she gave herself credit for. Each spar, she revealed something new she'd learned over the years. Not only was it a learning experience for the blonde, but it also was for their own celestial spirit mage. When he heard Lucy recite the number one rule for tacticians in battle, he could only feel a vague sense of regret that Yukino wasn't out here to witness whatever the lass was going to throw at Orga.

And boy, he wasn't expecting it either.

"Come, Leo! Metria Forme!"

* * *

To say that Laxus was in a bad mood was an understatement.

In fact, it may have been the understatement of the year.

Freed stole the Legion and took off to train after Laxus refused to interfere. Lucy took off for Sabertooth to train. Mirajane and Erza were gone, training Cana and Juvia… Natsu left with Gildarts. Kinana said they were out of his favorite peach brandy. The newer recruits were lingering around the guild hall and making it loud as hell while they awaited the trials. His grandfather pushed the fund books on him two days before they had to turn in a statement…

And the cherry on top were the two letters in hand. In his left hand, a letter from the Grand Duke of Pergrande. In his right, a letter from Queen Hisui. Neither of which spelled out particularly good news.

The Queen suggested that if Fairy Tail should get any papers, be it letters or documents or law paperwork, from other kingdoms that they should be immediately sent to her. Another note was that there was a political summit coming up on the twentieth of August. Afterward, she suggested keeping high powered mages in the guild at all times. Then, as a final aside, the queen also said to ask Lucy about sending her a letter with the _who's in_ of a secret the two had.

Nothing in that letter spelled good news.

The Grand Duke, on the other hand, was threatening to file an international lawsuit against Fiore and Fairy Tail for kidnapping, imprisonment of his daughter, non wartime hostaging and extortion. Apparently, when Saveya's citizenship was turned over to Fiore, only _then_ did her father care.

This seemed oddly familiar.

Unfortunately, with his team and Mira and his mate all gone for the moment, he had nobody to vent to or talk to about it all. But the Queen _did_ give him an excuse to call Lucy…

So, to keep himself sane, he did just that.

It only took two rings, but seeing _Sting_ answer _Lucy's_ Lacrima had him snarling like a junkyard dog.

"Why do you have her comm."

It wasn't a question.

The Guildmaster put a hand up defensively. " _Woah now, don't shoot the messenger… Lucy left her comm at the bar when she headed to the showers with Minerva and Yukino. It's not that deep."_

The lightning mage groaned and ran a hand down his face. "...Sorry man, it's been a day."

" _Did you get the letter, too?"_

"About the summit?"

" _That's the one."_

"Unfortunately, I did. And equally unfortunately, I already have to forward papers."

" _Fuck, what happened?"_

"Our newest member is the daughter of Pergrande's Grand Duke. She ran away to seek asylum, Her Majesty granted her citizenship, and now her dad's threatening shit."

" _Well, if you need backup, we're here."_

"Thanks."

" _Anytime for a sister guild,"_ Sting waved a hand nonchalantly _. "But what's going on?"_

"Oh, the Queen also told me to tell Lucy to send her something," Laxus explained.

Sting raised a brow. " _Not that, fucktard. The growling. You sounded vicious as shit."_

Laxus blinked. He forced the blush from embarrassment down before explaining. "...Imagine another man answering your mate's comm while she's out of town."

Stings eyes widened. " _Oh fuck. Really?!"_

"Yeah."

" _Sorry, man, I didn't know."_

"Don't worry about it. I know her. She's not quite confident enough to even try flirting with someone she actually likes, let alone people she doesn't."

The Saber cringed at that. " _...You mean she doesn't like you or..?"_

He shook his head. "She does and it's obvious… She's just timid. But we have a dynamic. We're just… Ourselves. And it works. No unnecessary flirting. So…"

" _I mean, whatever works, right?"_

" _Are you on my comm? Who the hell are you talking to?"_

Laxus felt his heart race just hearing her voice.

" _Ya boyfriiieeennnd~"_ Sting cooed and made a kissy face.

" _I will gut you and leave your organs for the birds."_

" _Sheesh, it's not that bad. It's Laxus."_

" _I figured."_

Laxus paused. Did that mean she _accepted_ the idea…?

The comm was passed over and Lucy's tired face was seen, the immature guildmaster seen behind her making obscene gestures on what Laxus should do. He rolled his eyes but addressed the woman. "How's training?"

She smiled. " _It's training. Rufus is a strict fuck, Orga doesn't know what mercy means, and Rogue makes me want to build a gym for myself."_

He snorted. "Sounds about right."

" _Hey, he's a lithe and limber fuck."_

"Your language has progressively gotten worse."

" _Blame Chance, Gaj and Mark."_

"...I can kill them?"

" _No killing."_

"...Not even a little?"

" _Why do I have to repeat myself to dragon slayers. Why do dragon slayers ask the dumbest questions."_

" _HEY!"_ Sting stopped his movements to pout at her words.

"...Anyway. I have some unfortunate news."

Lucy's eyes hardened. " _What's up?"_

He sighed. "So, first, the Queen said something in this letter about asking you to write her a letter on who you think should come. What that means, I don't know."

The lass sighed, echoing his. " _I know. I'll get that done tonight."_

"Still not gonna tell me?"

" _Still can't tell you."_

Laxus shrugged and nodded. "It is what it is. Second, Saveya's father is threatening international legal action."

" _Why does this feel like a weird sense of deja vu…"_

"Except this time, I'm not an ass."

" _That's debatable."_

"Rude."

She sighed, again, and shook her head. " _What's the plan?"_

"I'm forwarding this letter to Her Majesty. After that, we wait." He leaned back in his chair but never took his eyes off the woman on the comm.

Lucy nodded _. "Alright… If anything happens while I'm here, call me. I'll be home as soon as I can be."_

"You should stay and focus."

" _That means nothing if the guild is attacked and there isn't any trials as a result."_

"Fair. But still."

" _Worry about yourself and let me worry about me, alright?"_ Her smile made his insides turn. " _Right now, I can't afford to be worrying about you too."_

"Can I still worry about _you_ , though? You're hanging around two delinquent dragon slayers, a questionable god slayer, and two mages who can take down their opponents before their enemies can scream for help."

" _Hey,"_ Orga said, sounding a lot closer than Lucy expected. She looked over her shoulder and jumped, startled by how he got the sneak on her. " _The fuck you mean questionable?"_

"Have you seen your wardrobe?"

" _Like yours is any better, lightning twat."_

"Thunder cunt."

" _Alright, boys, this isn't a dick measuring contest,_ " Lucy scowled.

The two laughed but Orga didn't move yet. In fact, he waited to continue. " _Just wait till November."_

"Oh, you're being looked at too?"

" _Yep."_

"Well well, we'll see who the better lightning slayer is in November, then."

" _AGAIN, IT'S NOT A DICK MEASURING CONTEST."_

Laxus laughed heartily again, feeling eons better than he felt before he called her. "Just make sure you write the Queen. Oh, and Orga?"

" _Hm?"_

"Keep her safe."

" _I can take care of myself, thank you."_

Yet nobody paid attention to her. Instead, the ogre of a man nodded and agreed before heading back towards his own celestial mage girlfriend. Lucy shook her head and went to hang up, but stopped before she could. " _...So after the trials…"_

"How about before then?" he asked, knowing where she was going with it.

She shook her head yet again. " _I'll be here until I need a day of rest before taking off… So…"_

His eyes seemed sad at that. She hated that look in his eyes.

" _How about after the first battles..? Meet up for dinner..?"_

That made him smile.

She no longer _hated_ that she cared so much, but instead simply wondered if it was _normal_ to care so much.

"I'll bring dinner. You probably won't want to move all too much."

She giggled at that but nodded her agreement. " _Alright."_

* * *

"Shit!" Lucy yelled as Minerva's spell threw her back a good nine yards. They were nearing the close of the two weeks and Lucy was increasingly growing more and more frustrated. She looked up to and admired the black haired woman's prowess, but it was something more than that. Lucy respected the tigress and put her on a similar level as Erza. The two had many battles, and each drew out the fights to such stakes that both ended up going all out. Even in fights against Natsu or Gray, Lucy had never seen Erza go _all out_ to gain the victory. She always won without relying on her strongest armor sets.

And in Lucy's mind, if she could draw Minerva out to using her last reserves, the blonde will rightfully stand on that S-Class pedestal. At least then, she'd be able to stand a sliver of a chance against Erza. If she could make that happen, she'd feel better about this… But getting a woman like Minerva in a corner was _extremely_ difficult.

Titania could, because she had defensive skills par none when combined with her offensive skills. But Lucy relied heavily on tactics, because Lucy _wasn't_ a melee fighter. Unlike Erza, who's tactical side wasn't strong, Minerva was a little more rounded out.

Her fault was the defense.

Minerva had a very weak defense.

Lucy _knew_ this, but it was hard to combat. Well, hard for her. Because the Tigress was also strong strategically, it was more difficult for Lucy to see those openings in battle. She couldn't do what she normally did to get around her, and her usual thoughts weren't working. The blonde could plan fifteen steps ahead and take every possibility into account and plan accordingly for every minor hiccup. The Saber wasn't allowing her usual thoughts to work.

So Lucy had two options. Stick to strategy and hope it works…

Or go wild and bet on herself.

 _Don't let anyone tame you_.

As she stood and planted her feet again, she made the decision. Two things she would need were speed and power. So, she slipped into her Cancer star dress for speed, and borrowed Taurus's strength. Her eyes narrowed at the black haired woman and she finally saw the truth of the matter. It didn't matter how well you fought, it mattered how much passion you had. Were you able to put it all on the line for what you were fighting for? If you were, then you'd be more opt to come out on top. If you weren't, you were more likely to tap out.

Since her pep talk with Orga, Lucy had grown quite a bit mentally. Her confidence was boosted in a strange way and she was finding it easier to just… Be herself and be who she wanted to be. Now, she was fighting for respect. She knew Minerva respected her, but she wanted to _prove_ that she was worthy of that respect. She wanted to be respected for her power, her ability, and her willingness to fight for what her heart wanted.

It was clear now, though.

The power seeping off of the Tigress.

This was Lucy's moment.

Minerva also shifted. Lucy assumed it worked akin to a takeover, but she didn't know the true side effects of the demon she housed in her body since Tartaros. But she saw the way the woman's skin began to distort. The horns showing atop her head. The claws coming from her hands. The leather-like skin crawling to cover an eye. And the blonde had a moment of excitement, relief, and pure joy. Yes, this would make the fight a _lot_ harder… But...

Minerva was going all out.

Maybe Lucy _did_ deserve to stand by her redheaded sister.

So, taking that thought and holding it dear to her heart, she ran forward at the same time the tigress did. Lucy moved, Minerva dodged. Minerva moved, Lucy dodged. It was a game of cat and mouse now. Who would tire out first. But thankfully for Lucy, the adrenaline rush she got when Minerva transformed was enough to give her a little bit of an edge. When the black haired woman's claws caught her hip, her only thought was how little it hurt in comparison to the fire bear. She stood her ground and moved quick enough to get a counter in- a spinning kick boosted by Taurus's power.

The tigress was thrown back several yards, screamed, and crumpled to the ground… But she slowly stood again. She got back up. She came back with vengeance. Lucy grabbed her whip and barely managed to capture the woman's horn in it- just _barely_ \- and tugged so hard that Minerva fell on her back on the ground. Lucy ran, hoping this was her opening, but when she got close enough she noticed the dark magic surrounding the woman's hand. Barely scraping enough time to block, Lucy held Cancer's blades up to reflect the attack. It wasn't perfect and her arms didn't go unscathed, but the brunt of it was blocked nonetheless.

Lucy jumped up, twisted, and came down _hard_. One leg extended, had Minerva not moved at the last second she'd be three feet underground where Lucy caused a damn crater.

"Time!" Rufus finally called.

The two women looked at one another, dropped their transformations, then promptly both fell to the ground.

There was a sense of nausea that swept through Lucy, only combated by the pure elation she felt. She pushed Minerva that far. She pushed _Minerva_ that far. A near manic sounding laugh bubbled out of her at that, and tears clouded her vision as she stared up at the partly cloudy sky. She _did it_. Lucy wasn't aiming to beat anyone- that would take a lot more time and a lot more training… She just wanted to get Minerva or Orga down to the wire. And, finally, three days before she was set to head home, she did it.

Sting was the one to help the blonde to her feet.

"There it is, Blondie. If you were a Saber, making the Lady go all out like that would qualify you immediately."

A happy tear slipped down her cheek and she smiled at him. "Thank you."

He nodded and smiled back. "Only two more sparring days to go."

"Who is it tomorrow?"

"Rogue and I. Rufus tomorrow. And Orga wants to talk to you."

"Orga?" She tilted her head. "...Why?"

The guildmaster shrugged. "He wouldn't say."

Lucy looked across the field to where Minerva was being helped up by Rufus. The tigress sent the blonde a megawatt smile, which she happily returned. Her brown eyes turned back to Sting. "Will you help me back to the guild..? My legs feel like actual Jell-O."

He laughed but complied and guided her back to the guild, through the halls, and to an office where the God Slayer was waiting. After helping her into a chair, the master left the two alone and made sure to close the door behind himself as he left. Lucy noted that this was the first time she'd seen Orga in reading glasses and, oddly enough, they suited him well. He looked up at her and pulled his glasses off, only to smirk wildly.

"Congratulations, Shortstack."

She laughed. "Thanks, big guy."

He laughed as well and shook his head but leaned forward. His elbows rested on the desk. "I'm taking you back to Magnolia. Yuki is coming with us, too."

She furrowed her brows in confusion.

He continued. "Makarov asked two members from ally guilds to join you all on Tenrou, as a precaution. Nobody thinks the Fairy Sphere will activate again, but he'd rather not take any chances."

She nodded at this. "I don't blame him. After last time… it took us a long time to recover from that."

Orga leaned back in his chair. "Kagura and Millianna are coming from Mermaid Heel, Ichiya and Hibiki from Pegasus, Jura and Chelia from Lamia, Bacchus and Warcry from Cerberus, and Yuki and I will all be there."

It wasn't lost on her. "So one S-Class from each guild is gonna be there."

"Yeah."

"You're all going to be judging us."

"I'm not supposed to say."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "As if. Having someone from each guild that's S-Class will give insight that our own S-Class mages might not have thought of before. I know what he's doing here."

The ogre snorted. "It's less that and more like the strongest member aside from the master will be there."

She nodded. "And?"

"I'm not swaying my opinion just because I've seen how far you've come."

"I'd be insulted if you _were_ biased."

He laughed at that. "I'm glad we're on the same page."

There was a brief silence, but Lucy broke it. "That's not all."

He nodded. "It's not."

"What else?"

"Two more things. I saw the bracket set up." He eyed her carefully and leaned on the desk once more. "Do not, under any circumstance, bring out _that_ on the first fight. Use it _only_ as a last resort."

She winced but nodded. "I know. I'm mostly worried about Gray and Natsu… Freed will be difficult and so will Gajeel, but I _know_ Natsu and Gray. I _know_ how hard they fight and how bad they've wanted this."

He sighed. "Alright. You should be fine against Juvia. She's a killer mage with some hidden tricks up her sleeves, though, so stay on your toes. Makarov is removing the ban on forbidden magic and forbidden spells. Fairy Sphere is the only spell banned."

Lucy furrowed her brows again. "How do you know that about Juvia?"

"When I was younger. She has _nasty_ spells up her sleeves. I'm not going to spill her secrets, since that feels like cheating, but just… Be careful Shortstack." Lucy agreed and went to stand, but he stopped her. "One more thing."

Lucy paused and tilted her head curiously. He studied her thoroughly, though his eyes never moved away from hers. She felt as though he were looking _past_ her and directly into her soul… It didn't settle well. His pale, narrow eyes were searching for an answer that she didn't know he'd find.

"Do you feel better about it?"

Lucy nodded. "I feel a lot more confident about the trials now, yes."

He narrowed his eyes further. "Not that. There's been something on the back of your mind. Something that made you stutter."

She cringed, _immediately_ knowing what he meant. "I… Haven't been thinking about it… I've been focusing on training…"

He watched her carefully, then smiled and nodded. "That's fine." This confused her, but he continued. "No matter what is wearing on you, you have to always make sure you're focused on yourself first and foremost. Figure out what _you_ want and what _your_ goals are. No matter where you are in your life, you're the only one who will be there for you _every_ moment. You have to be able to be okay with yourself and not regret things when you're alone with your thoughts. Focusing on yourself is always the best answer."

Lucy blinked twice, not expecting a life lesson from the ogre of a man. Still, once the words sunk in, she couldn't help but smile genuinely. "...Thank you. That… Kind of helped a lot."

He nodded, though he held a hand out. "Wanna talk about it?"

The blonde thought about it. On one hand, she knew that he and Laxus had become very close friends and that he could give invaluable advice… But on the other, he could also tell Laxus what she says. Her brown eyes sized the hulking man up. While she didn't know him as well as her… Not-so-boyfriend did, she _did_ know that he was a man of integrity. Hesitantly, she spoke. "...Nothing I say leaves the room."

He nodded. "Nothing. On my pride."

She eased just a _little_ , but nodded. "It's mostly about my feelings towards…. Towards Laxus. I was a debutante, ran away, thrust into the Fairy Tail centric shitstorms, and as a result I've never… Dated… Or even had a crush on anyone before him… This is new and I'm just… I'm worried about my own feelings and future things."

After saying it out loud, she felt like a child being scolded by her parent. It was stupid to get caught up like this. Stupid to be telling it to Laxus' friend. She didn't need this. But when she looked at Orga, he only seemed to accept it. No judgement, no laughter, not even a mischievous look in his pale eyes. Instead, he looked like he absorbed it, accepted it, and was trying to understand it. He looked like he had her interest in mind instead of teasing her about it.

"Well… I can't give you answers or anythin', but… Shortstack, I had the same issue with Kino."

She blinked. "What? _You_ did?"

He nodded, offering a sad smile. "I was raised in Bosco most of my life. I came to Fiore to escape… A negative situation… I was found by Jiemma, invited to the guild, and then well… You know how the guild was."

She leaned towards him a bit. "What made you decide to?"

He shrugged. "Slayers get mates. Dragons take mates and Gods take beloveds. She was mine. But I didn't… I didn't know how to go about telling her. She was closer to the dragons and didn't speak directly to me much. Minerva and Rufus were the ones I was close to… But it took one mission for me to get my head out of my ass."

"What happened?"

"She passed out. I thought she died."

Lucy gasped and her eyes went wide in shock and horror.

But the Slayer only smiled. "It was only for two minutes at most. That hit me too hard and I… I used a spell that I shouldn't have. I didn't even use it during the Alvarez War, because it scares _me_. As a caster of it. The beasts are down and when I turn around, everyone else looked terrified… But she watched me, not scared shitless… And when I saw she was awake, there was a thought. I didn't know when time was up or what may happen… If she'd ever find someone else… But I would regret it, every second, if I didn't at least try. If I didn't tell her. Because to lose her without trying was more crushing than being rejected. I loved her so much, even then, that it would have killed me to never try."

The blonde sat back and exhaled heavily.

Thinking of something like that was mildly depressing, and a little hard to do. Maybe it was easier for him because he had the experience of nearly losing his love. But for her, her brain didn't even want to try to think of she and Laxus in that situation. She didn't want to even try to think of losing him, and she wasn't quite sure what that meant.

He leaned forward even more. "It all comes down to what you will and won't regret. If you can't realize it right now, don't worry about it. Fate has a way of nudging you in the right direction, even if it sometimes feels like a harsh shove. If it's meant to be, you'll figure it out on your own time."

She nodded and smiled genuinely and gently at him. He was the first to not tell her how she felt or assume things. Ever and Aquarius both compared her feelings to their relationships… But Orga reassured her that it will always be up to her and that she had _time_. That, somehow, made her feel better about it.

"You're an amazing guy, you know?"

He leaned back and waved a nonchalant hand. "Nah. It just depends on who you ask."

Lucy shook her head. "The magazines make you out to be a brainless brute, but you're so much more than that."

He smirked a bit. "Mags ain't always right, Shortstack."

She laughed at that. "I mean yeah, but you've never done anything to combat it."

He shrugged. "I do most of the paperwork around here. Why should I care about what others think?"

"Fair point."

"So Yuki and I will go with you to Magnolia."

"Alright. I'll be ready."

* * *

Lucy's eyes hardened as she walked out onto the deck of the ship. Every participant of the trials was out there, and so was Erza and Makarov. They were nearing the island and everyone was called to the deck. Lucy looked briefly out on the horizon, knowing that not only were the other guilds already there, but so were the other S-Class mages _and_ they already set up Lacrima. At the last minute, the information that this would be broadcasted back to Fairy Tail _and_ the ally guilds was sprung on them. It was daunting, knowing that your friends and family were watching on Lacrima Vision… But at the same time, it made sense. If they were to get attacked _again_ , the allies would _immediately_ know.

"Listen up!"

Her attention turned back to the master.

"Your mission is to give these battles everything you've got. Show us your determination, your grit, and your wishes in battle. Show us why _you_ deserve the promotion."

Everyone cheered in response.

"We'll touch down and you'll have thirty minutes to prepare and get to the battle ground. Juvia and Lucy will go first."

The two women looked to each other sharply and nodded to one another.

"Then, Natsu and Gajeel."

The two slayers groaned in response, their stomachs not agreeing with the travel.

"Freed and Gray fight third."

Freed's eye sharpened and Gray's jaw set.

"Then, finally, Wendy and Cana."

The brunette looked down at her lap for a moment but nodded nonetheless. Wendy, on the other hand, clung to the railing of the boat, trying not to lose her stomach.

It took another ten minutes to get to the shore of the island, and nobody was allowed off of the boat until it was docked- unlike last time. Then again, the trials themselves were different this time as well. They slowly but surely stepped off of the wooden boat, taking their luggage with them. It took them a good ten minutes to get through the thick woods down the paths to even get to camp in the first place, and thankfully the tense silence had been broken by Gray stumbling over Natsu's leg.

It was bickering, but at least the tension had mostly left. Upon approaching the camp, Lucy saw everyone already there and waiting with a Lacrima Vision set up to see four different camera angles. Mira, Erza, Orga and Jura were talking about one thing or another and everyone else seemed to be mingling amongst themselves. Her brown eyes scanned the area for the man she was looking for but she never saw him.

She could, however, feel his aura. The static in the air.

Then, his hand landed on her shoulder.

Again, she threw him over that shoulder and twisted his arm and pinned him- just like before. Her foot was already applying sharp pressure to the bend between his neck and shoulder when she noticed _who_ it was.

"Dammit Laxus, we've been over this! Don't sneak up on me!"

There was an eerie silence that followed, though it was broken by Orga's booming laughter. "There's the fire, Shortstack!"

"Hey," Laxus fired back at the slayer as Lucy moved her foot, "no, none of that."

Orga smirked wildly at the dragon slayer. "Oh hohoho. None of what?"

"Laxus?!" Mira squealed.

He groaned. "Leave me alooooone."

Lucy sighed and forcibly helped him up by nearly _picking him up_ by the armpits. She couldn't get him fully off the ground, but she lifted him enough for him to be forced to put his feet beneath him or they'd both fall. "Stop scaring the piss outta me and we wouldn't have these situations."

He looked down at her. "...You and Wendy both need to stop swearing like Fairies."

"I'll talk however the hell I want!" Both ladies cried at the same time.

"Luce," Gray hollered. "You don't have time. Field's ten minutes away."

"Shit," she cursed as she turned away from everyone and took off like a bullet towards the field.

Laxus sighed and plopped down between the Orga and Jura. "Damn."

"Wanted to wish her luck?" Orga asked.

The blond nodded.

The tiger snorted a laugh. "She doesn't _need_ luck anymore. Trust me."

"You were the one training Miss Lucy?" Jura asked curiously.

Orga shook his head. "Not just me. Rufus, the Twin Jackasses and Minerva all did."

The earth mage hummed and stroked his beard a bit. "I see. She might surprise us all then."

"Oh, she _definitely_ will. She's come a long way."

"Knowing Lucy's progress, how far do you think she'll make it?" Laxus asked.

The slayer narrowed his eyes on the LV. "I can't say, since I don't know how much progress the others made… But I know she has the will and the ability to go all the way."

"Bold statement," Erza chimed. "You think she could beat Natsu?"

"Definitely," the tiger nodded. "No offense to Natsu, but after what happened… He won't be in the right headspace, especially not to go against a tactician like Lucy."

"Lucy has a problem with relying on others instead of herself in battle," the redhead argued.

He shook his head. "What I saw? She was betting on herself to win."

Erza's brows shot up in shock. She followed his eyes to the LV, noticing that Lucy and Juvia were now taking the field. "Then there are a few game changing pieces on the board. I don't know who might come out on this."

"We'll have to watch to find out," Mira said, looking up at the screen to see them taking battle stances.

From his place at the camp, Makarov spoke into a speaker to broadcast to the mages; "On my count. Three… Two… One… Begin!"

Juvia rushed forward, water coming to her hand _fast_. However, Lucy was able to call Virgo to pull her underground to avoid the water mage's attack. Sparring against a lightning mage who's speed was through the roof for two weeks made her fully prepared for slower attacks like that. The water woman wasn't waiting, though, and raised her hands up- palms facing the sky.

"Drain Dry!"

The water and moisture rose from the ground and the plants there, gathering around the water mage steadily. Within two short seconds, the earth at her feet was dry like sand and the underground movements of Virgo and Lucy were visible lumps of moving dirt- like a badger or a mole's path. The water mage gathered that water to her hand and held them palms facing the area in which the digging briefly stopped.

"Typhoon Shot!" The water shot out in a spinning funnel, uprooting Lucy's position and forcing her airborne.

The blonde was prepared, though. "Cetus! Chamaeleon!"

The two silver key spirits popped out, prepared and ready for battle. The woman spirit ran forward at such a high speed that Juvia blinked and nearly missed her movements. The changeling did just that, transforming into a near mirrored copy of the water mage- the only difference was that Chamaeleon kept her pale eyes in the transformation.

Lucy shifted to her Aquarius star dress.

This was now a battle of water against water.

"Cetus, now!" Lucy called.

The male nodded, gathering water to his own hands. He slapped his hands down on the ground, the blue color of the magic circles lighting his pale features beautifully. "Force Wave!"

Water began rushing up and own in a huge wave of water from around him, and Lucy jumped to the sky to almost _ride_ the wave. His girlfriend shifted her stance and shot a Typhoon shot _back at_ Juvia. The water woman had to concentrate on the two spells- one a weaker version of the very spell she used moments ago- to take control of enough of the water to prevent taking a lot of damage. Her hands lifted, her magic reached out, and though most of the water didn't hit her, she was still pushed backwards by the force of just trying to take over the wave and the typhoon attack.

"WATERFALL!"

Juvia looked up to see the blonde above her head and a _huge_ burst of water magic _slammed_ down on her. Her concentration slipped for less than a second, but it was enough for all three attacks to hit her simultaneously.

"She forgot to pay attention to the key holder," Jura commented.

Laxus nodded. "That's a flaw most people forget about. Lucy and Yukino don't stand behind their spirits."

"Juvia isn't going to take a lot of damage from that," Mira said steadily. "Her body is made of water. She's smarter than to let that slip."

When the attacks stopped, Juvia wasn't standing there any longer. Cam looked over to her right sharply when she felt the reconnection of the blue haired woman's body. She slipped through using the water they'd all summoned and moved to a different part of the field. Lucy followed the woman's line of sight and cursed. No, the blonde didn't think it would win her the match, but she didn't expect Juvia to take advantage of all of that right away.

Her mind instantly had the answer.

Thank you, Rufus.

"Cam, go! Cetus, two!"

The woman nodded and left in a shimmer of sparkles just as a _wave_ of visible poison left from his hands. "Venom Blast!"

Juvia materialized in just enough time to see this and dodge out of the way. The purple-green colored sludge smacked against the treeline, causing acid erosion to _immediately_ begin eating away at the trees there. Lucy pulled a key out in her right hand and held her left hand up to prepare for her star dress. "Aries! Cancer, star dress!"

The Ram showed up and barely managed a rushed apology before she shot off a wool bomb. It completely missed the water mage, and Lucy ran past the pink haired spirit to come in close to her opponent with a blade in either hand.

"She missed?" Erza said, almost sounding disappointed.

"She didn't." Jura nodded towards the screen. "The wool is absorbing the excess water on the ground. She's trying to prevent Juvia from doing that again."

"Smart," Laxus praised.

Erza smirked, though. "Blades won't work against Juvia, though."

"Don't discount that dress, Scarlet," Orga pressed. "There's a lot of things we've worked on, you know."

"I'll keep it in mind, but our students both have trained hard."

They watched as Lucy was on Juvia within mere _seconds_. Again, the blonde was thankful for every spar with Orga that prepared her in Cancer's dress to be able to move so quickly. She sliced outwards, the blade akin to an extension of her own arm… But it never connected. Juvia's body released pressure on the side the blade struck, turning to water long enough for the blade to slip through easily before reforming without her taking any damage.

"Not so fast," Juvia said lowly as she stomped her right foot down. Water pulled itself from the greenery around them, circling around them and closing in on them fast. "Whirlpool!"

Lucy jumped away from the woman when she struck out to hit the blonde. The water was moving _dangerously_ fast, seeming close to hurricane speeds… Even though Lucy had never seen just how fast that was, she could only assume that's how fast it was. In reality, it wasn't _that_ fast. Her brown eyes narrowed and she struck out with the blade again, barely acknowledging when the gold circle shined in front of the blade on her left hand.

"Wind Slash!"

The _blade_ didn't touch Juvia, but the _wind_ around it did. Four sharp slices marred the woman's thigh, but the attack kept going. The force of the attack gaining power as it moved further out caused the back wall of spiraling water to collapse into three different sections. In that moment, Lucy crouched and jumped out of the brief opening. The water slashed and sliced several small yet sharp and deep cuts against her right side, but she ignored the stinging pain. Her feet connected with the tree and she looked down at the blue haired woman at the bottom of the water funnel. She could barely see the silhouette from the outside.

"Lucy got through," Mira praised.

"Or she fell into a trap," Jura challenged. "We can't really make out where exactly Juvia is right now."

"You're forgetting two things," Orga reminded.

Just as those words finished leaving his lips, a wall of shadows erupted up from the ground. Whatever was shouted by the spirit was drown out by the water woman's scream. The walls of water started falling apart, and two more wool shots were thrown out to absorb the upper level of water that was beginning to come loose.

"There it is," Gildarts finally said critically.

Lucy came down on Juvia like a bat outta hell, but her star dress had changed. Now, Juvia just barely moved out of the way when Lucy dropped her unclothed leg down on the ground. Taurus' strength amplified this tenfold, and the earth cracked and caved beneath the power of the leg drop. Exactly where Lucy and Virgo had tunneled caved in, causing the water woman to fall beneath the dropping rocks and- thankfully- she didn't get pinned beneath them.

Lucy rushed along the tunnels filling with water, her star dress changing again. The checkered pattern of Gemini's magic flashed before she changed again- horns growing on her head and one of her eyes patching over. The blonde knew that she couldn't hold even a partial transformation into Minerva's demon form, but she had Gemini add it to their repertoire to have an extra card to play. Once the transformation _looked_ perfect- it wasn't, but Juvia didn't know that- Aries disappeared in a flash of sparkles.

Cetus jumped up to join her, and they clasped their hands together.

"Demonic Shadow Blast!" the duo shouted, combining the demonic attributes from Lucy's partially borrowed magic with her spirit's shadow magic to create a devastating blast coming from them.

Juvia moved out of the way enough to miss the majority of the blast, but her right arm and leg were still caught in it. She screamed out a very loud " _TAP!_ "

Gildarts leaned back in his seat. "Lucy had a lot of this planned from the beginning."

"Of course she did," Orga agreed. "She wouldn't stay that long underground without a plan."

"She held the battle in her hands well," Jura agreed with a nod. "Had several cards on play that we wouldn't expect to see… Like that transformation."

"Minnie gave her permission," Yukino said as she slipped into their little group to sit by her boyfriend. "It shocked them both to see that the demon was okay with it, too."

"No doubt," Mirajane commented.

"Lucy has always been a top tier tactician," Erza said as she leaned back as well. "I just didn't expect to see her have come so far so quickly."

"She's flourishing," Laxus agreed- pointedly ignoring the knowing looks everyone seemed to be sending him. "She went in with limited cards so she wouldn't show too much to anyone she might fight next."

Mentally, he was getting over the shock of Lucy engaging in a water battle _without_ bringing out Aquarius. If she hadn't brought her out yet, there was a reason for it. Laxus wasn't going to spill her secrets out like that. And, if Lucy _did_ show Orga and Yukino Aquarius was back, neither of them seemed to comment on it, either. The blonde officially won the first match of the day and set a tone that everyone felt the others should follow. Getting so far, so fast and having so many of her secrets and movements so excellently mapped out was now a standard they hoped the next few matches would meet.

The blond, though not speaking on Aquarius, did continue his thoughts. "We only saw three- technically four- spirits out. Only three star dresses too… And two of the spirits we saw were Silver Keys. This wasn't anything," he realized and his eyes widened. "She started low in hopes she wouldn't have to bring out big guns. We haven't seen _anything_ from her yet."

Gildarts laughed at this. "You're just noticing that? Lucy played that brilliantly. Showing off _just enough_ to let us know that's not even close to half of what she has up her sleeves, yet working her low power moves well enough to prove a point."

"That's exactly what we're looking for," Kagura commented, coming up to stand behind Erza. "That level of planning and flexibility within tactics is very important."

"She's started it off strong, that's for sure," Mira agreed.

Lucy helped Juvia up, held her tight, and let the water woman lean on her shoulder as she walked and helped her back to camp. On their way, they passed both Natsu and Gajeel. They wished both mages luck in passing, got compliments on their fights, and moved on. They didn't make it back to camp until the two slayers had already started their fight. The ladies didn't seem to care much, though, as both were more concerned with seeing Chelia in the back of camp.

Natsu won the match, though not by much. It was obvious both slayers were holding back, similar to Lucy but not as well executed, and Gajeel only tapped out because of the amount of smoke clogging the air. Freed and Gray put on another brilliant fight, and even though Gray had an edge with his Devil Slaying magic, Freed's strategies pulled him the win. Gray had a clear edge in power, but it meant nothing if you could barely harm your opponent. That put Juvia and Gray to fight in the second bracket tomorrow, and Freed and Lucy to fight in the main bracket.

Wendy and Cana had, arguably, the best match of the day. Cana proved herself to having grown a _lot_ since the last trials. She had encorporated crystals and runes both, giving the Wicca more tools to work with and more combinations to draw out with her cards. Wendy showed that sometimes, in battle, raw power _will_ overcome strategy, since she won the match. Unlike what everyone thought would happen, Cana didn't lose because she was holding back. She gave the lass a damn good fight, and it was one they both could respect.

It took a grand total of four hours to get through all the matches- though none of them were too long. The path to the field was just super long and took a while to walk through. It wasn't until everything was winding down for the day that Laxus tried approaching Lucy again.

"Congratulations," he said softly.

She swirled around, locked eyes with him and smiled happily. "Thank you."

"You doing alright?"

"Yeah," she agreed. Her brown eyes then went to the tent. "So… I kinda forgot that we were staying on the island for the duration of the tests…"

"Kinda hard to go out for food this way, huh?" he asked, amusement twinkling in his storm blue eyes.

She blushed and nodded. "Sorry about that…"

She didn't want him sad.

He laughed, though. "Don't worry, I brought some food for us when we came."

Lucy looked up at him through her lashes. "...You really do think of everything, don't you?"

 _When it comes to you, I do._

"Eh. I just like being prepared."

She smiled so warmly at him that his heart _felt_ warm. "Well… Where do you want to go for dinner?"

"We can hit the grove out by the hotsprings? Picnic it up and when we're done, I can leave while you relax."

Lucy nodded excitedly at this, entwining their fingers as she held his hand. "Sounds perfect. Lead the way!"

He felt happiness _flood_ his veins when she held his hand. Aside from her assault earlier, this was the first time that he _felt, physically,_ that she was safe. He smiled and brought her hand up to kiss the back of it. "Let's go, then."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's Note:** Let me first start this off by apologizing to those who I've let down because of the comment request last chapter. A large portion of me asking for a ridiculous amount of comments (ridiculous in comparison to the amount I've gotten previously) was because of my work schedule. I knew that no matter when it went up, I wouldn't get that many quickly even if I urged you to comment. I've put in so many hours that it's made me physically sick, so I needed _time _to work through this chapter._

 _Yeah, the amount of comments was a nice thing to read, too, but it was mostly because I needed a little more time. And if you all read that and saw the '180' mark, you wouldn't be expecting a new chapter right away (cause lord knows my update schedule sure as hell ain't regular, lmao). It was a cheap blow, and I'm honestly sorry for letting you down._

 _On the up side, and away from that topic for now, we're... Seriously close to the actual get together, guys. It's so, so very close. And, because I am on sick leave, I have more free time to work on this story :3c Hopefully, the next few chapters getting to you guys sooner will be enough for you all to forgive me. If not, then I'm gonna put in the work to make it happen. This story means a lot to me and I'm so very happy to see you all enjoy it, and I feel like hot garbo for letting you guys down._

 _Anyway, I'm gonn shut up and let you just enjoy the story. c': I just needed to get my apology out first._

* * *

" _Freed is going to be a tough opponent. Don't go in thinking he'll be easy to get around."_

" _I never would," Lucy nodded._

 _Laxus watched her carefully, eyeing her movements as she reached for another spoonful of rice. She hadn't been the same since before she went off to train. This wasn't a bad thing, though, since Laxus saw how much more confident she seemed in most everything she did. It wasn't a cockiness or an arrogance, she was just a lot more secure. It looked good on her. Still, there was a little more of a pressing question on his mind. "...Are you going to give it your all?"_

" _Of course," she quickly responded. "I wouldn't disrespect anyone for not treating them the way I would an actual opponent."_

 _His eyes narrowed just a bit. "You said you'd take the opportunity if it arose, but you didn't sound secure in your answer back then. What are you fighting for?"_

 _She eyed him warily and sighed a bit. "Orga helped me open my eyes. I thought I'd be fighting to keep from letting everyone down…" She bit her lower lip. "But I have something to prove to the world. I'm not a prissy debutante easily overlooked. I'm not weak because I'm a holder mage. I'm not an idiot because I'm blonde… I have a lot to prove to the world. To myself… And this is the first step to do that."_

 _Laxus found his cheeks warming. The determined look in her eyes gave him_ really _inappropriate thoughts. Just the brief thought of what it would feel like to run his hands over her hips while she straddled him, with that determined look in possibly hooded eyes-_

" _I'm glad you found something for yourself." At least his voice didn't crack when he spoke to break his thoughts off. "Putting everything you have into the people around you… You'll grow too dependent."_

" _Yeah… I know."_

 _He leaned back, needing to put if only a little bit more room between them. "If you don't give up on yourself, I won't give up on you."_

" _I don't think I ever will."_

Laxus looked up at the LV, watching as his mate and his best friend walked onto the field as opponents. He, Orga and Jura were sitting closest, with Erza, Mira and Gildarts behind them. His brows furrowed at the screen. The earlier matches proved interesting, much to everyone's surprise. Juvia pulled a win out on Gray, if only because she'd finally mastered her element so much that she was able to deconstruct everything he tried throwing at her with maker magic. When he added his devil slaying into it, it was harder for the water mage. She showed them all that she'd grown to put herself first, and provide it by using a blood bending spell that gave her complete control over the water naturally in Gray's body. Not knowing how to break out of it, Gray tapped out.

Cana almost squeaked out a win, as well, but lost at the last second by throwing in the towel. The Wicca shot off spells that they'd never seen her use before and even broke out Fairy Glitter. After the latter of the mentions, Gajeel was wobbling on his feet. The brunette was no better, though, and once she saw that Gajeel didn't go down, she tapped out. She claimed that had it been a war or a battle against an enemy, she wouldn't have given in, but she didn't want to hurt her guildmate too much. As Laxus watched, he wondered if Lucy would pull off an upset.

"This will be the best match of the tourney," Gildarts said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Two mega powered brainiacs… I have high expectations."

"I think our expectations will be blown away," Mira said softly. "These two never ceases to amaze me with what they do."

Erza nodded, her face solemn. "I expect a win from Freed."

Laxus scoffed. "What's with you not believing in your own teammate?"

Erza wasn't phased by his sharp words or his refuse to turn around and look her in the face as he said so. She sighed a bit. "...I hope you didn't jinx my luck. I want Lucy to win, so if I expect the other to win, she's likely to win out of spite."

Orga and Jura looked back at the red head with furrowed brows.

"How does that make _any_ sense?" the tiger asked.

"Bluffing. Think about it in cards," she clarified.

Jura shook his head. "You have a confusing mind, Titania."

"On my count!" sounded Makarov's voice.

The two competitors crouched to fighting positions. Laxus held his breath, worried and wondering how either mage would start off the match.

"Three! ...Two! ...One!"

Lucy reached just a bit closer to her whip, as Freed did his rapier.

" _BEGIN!_ "

Freed was fast, but Lucy was faster. He lunged forward with his sword out near simultaneous to Lucy striking her whip up to grab onto an overhead branch and lift herself up. It was obvious that the rune mage took the offensive where she took the defensive. She pulled herself out of the way of his dive and stood proudly on the branch when he stood beneath her. He lifted his sword and swept it outward, the slight movements so fast it wasn't visible to the human eye how fast he wrote a rune out.

"Intense Gravity Rune!"

Lucy jumped to dodge it and called out Gemini. Though she missed the brunt of the spell, the blonde still fell a lot faster towards the ground and _almost_ didn't land right. She shifted her star dress to Cancer's and rushed forward to strike him.

"This won't work, though," Mira commented with her brows furrowed. "Freed knows better than to get caught like that."

Laxus nodded. "Bringing Gemini out and distracting him with the swords won't work."

"You missed her other summon," Orga replied.

Erza nodded. "She has three cards on play."

"Three?" Gildarts asked. "I only saw two."

"Never forget the mage herself," Orga said.

The two mages were locked in a sword duel for less than a minute. The moment Gemini got close, Freed bounced backwards out of the twins' reach. He looked to her with a slightly triumphant look, but the smirk on her face made his gut clench.

"Palm Strike!"

The deep voice took Freed off guard and he only had enough time to dodge before Capricorn dived out of the tree. A cold sweat broke out on the rune mage's forehead upon seeing the fissure in the earth where the spirit struck out. It was enough of a distraction for Lucy to wrap her whip around his sword and yank it from his hand. It was then thrown into a different tree's bark, and Freed's eyes narrowed sharply.

"It's a good thought, to separate him from his sword," Erza said, raising her hand to her chin. "But Freed was the one to teach Levy how to use Script with only her fingers…"

"Still," Jura continued, "to get the warrior away from his weapon is the best move to make."

Lucy and Capricorn made a devastating team, one on par with none Laxus had personally ever seen. With her blades and his striking power, the two were deadly and very accurate in their prowess. She'd strike left, Freed would dodge right, Capricorn would be waiting to strike. Yet this happened all at such a break neck speed that Freed could barely keep up- let alone react. It was almost a blur, how fast the three were moving- more specifically, how fast _two_ were moving and how fast they forced the third to be. The best move Freed had was to be hit by Lucy, and even that wasn't appealing because one strike could be her opening. Still, after the strike Capricorn landed on the _ground_ , Freed was _trying_ to be extra careful around him... But they were moving too fast for him to continuously keep up his dodging.

Finally, the spirit landed a dangerous blow to the rune mage's shoulder and it threw Freed back several feet. At first he was surprised with how much it hurt, yet he was also surprised by how he expected it to shatter his bones- yet it didn't. But when he fell into _something_ , he realized his mistake. He was thrown right into Gemini. The twins, though they softened his fall, smirked evilly as they transformed into him.

That was what threw Laxus off.

She was strong enough to hold a transformation into Minerva with her person and Freed with her spirit. No, Minerva's wasn't a perfect transformation, but Laxus didn't know that.

Two weeks made her _jump_ from worrisome to fearsome. They got a three month time span to train for the last Games, and he was mildly terrified to think of how far she'd come in that time frame. If two weeks turned her into a monster amongst monsters, the idea that she could very well be on the next team for the Games and have another gap of time to train… It sent a slight shiver down his spine.

"This is what I have been waiting for," came Makarov's voice. The little old man had wandered up next to Laxus' seat.

"She's jumped," Erza said softly.

"Her magic knows _few_ bounds. A fully realized Celestial Spirit Mage is someone you want to be fighting _beside_ , not against." The old man creased his brow as he looked up at the LV. "The only thing Maivis and I were able to talk about concerning Lucy was… I was warned that I would never be able to fathom how far Celestial Magic could go."

Jura stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Does this not bode well for you, Makarov?"

"It bodes well," he claimed, "it just makes me fear for the people who may come after her."

"She's a special one," Laxus whispered.

Makarov nodded. "Freed, Cana and Juvia's magics have extreme potential as well- it's not just Lucy. I was hoping one of them would prove their drive by showing how far they've come."

He nodded, understanding.

The next move made everyone stop talking. Freed jumped away from the spirit as the twins transformed into the rune mage's demon form. The rune mage growled darkly before casting the same darkness spell on himself. Lucy watched the two carefully and sent Capricorn back. The spirit threw off a darkness wave, the mage dodged and sent a _disenchanting devolve_ rune at the spirit to try and rid them of their transformation. Gemini was fast, though, and sent off a _disspell_ rune to cancel out the one sent at them.

"Her speed is the real issue," Mira said softly.

"You're welcome," Orga smirked.

Laxus punched the god slayer on the arm. "Stop that and watch already."

Just as the words escaped Laxus, Lucy _vanished_.

Freed, preoccupied by Gemini, didn't even notice.

There was a _moment_ where everyone realized that Lucy was far beyond what they expected her to be, and that moment came when Gemini transformed once more. Startling most everyone around their LVs, whether on the island or at their home guilds, red hair and distinct armor now faced off against the green haired man. What they _didn't_ know was that Erza last touched Gemini a little after the Games. Lucy had finally surpassed where Erza was _then_ , not recently. So while it was a perfect transformation, it wasn't of the redhead at her current level.

The watchers could only gawk- much like Freed was from where he was in front of Gemini-Erza. His mouth was agape at the false Titania in front of him, but he resolved himself enough to begin a counterstrike.

"She's…" Erza whispered, though it was obvious she was at a loss for words.

Laxus noticed it. When Gemini required into her Heart Cruz armor, he saw the missing chinks. Now, that armor had a lot more scuff marks, dents and rough patches. Gemini's didn't. It was a smart play, a well-placed fake out. But the Slayer knew that, eventually, Freed would also pick up on it. Perhaps not right away, but he would. And if Laxus surmised that, he could only hope Lucy did too.

A wave of darkness flew from Freed, and Gemini-Erza was able to requip to a dark sword strong enough to slice through the spell.

And Lucy descended once more like a bat outta hell, with a familiar face near her as well. Perhaps less familiar than before, but still _oh so_ memorable. The maid's pink hair was a dead giveaway, despite the tight leather she now wore. The two came down, whips in hand, and forced Freed to jump out of the way.

When the mage and her spirit stood side by side, her eyes narrowed as she felt her upper lip twitch upwards in a snarl. "Eclipse Forme."

"She managed to tame their Eclipse forms?!" Erza shouted.

Orga nodded. "She has three forms for each of her golden keys now, and two for her silver keys. Yukino was actually the one who taught her that, since Yuki and Libra managed to work that out a while back. It's not as strong as it seems, though."

Gildarts' eyes widened. "Three? What the hell? Have y'all been giving her steroids or something?!"

The god slayer laughed but shook his head. "Between the weeks of five hour a day meditations with Yukino, sparring with a few of us, and research into her magic… She's barely had resting time. It was just non-stop training."

"Damn," Laxus praised. "That's dedicated."

"Damn straight."

Lucy and Virgo attacked together in near mirror fashion to her and Capricorn. One whip dodge, one struck. One grabbed and held Freed, the other would punch. Adding Gemini into the mix created a corner for the rune mage. He was stuck in the barrage of attacks for a solid thirty seconds before he regained composure.

"She's using force instead of strategy, and she's out numbering him," Mira commented.

"It's not the best, but it's damn good against Freed," Laxus admitted. "If the Eclipse Forme isn't as strong as it seems, though... This isn't going to hold up."

Orga nodded. "Yuki says it isn't nearly as strong as when they were taken over, but it's a good wildcard with different moves to play with."

The rune mage was able to escape by buffing his defenses with a very fast written rune. Once well outside of their range, he beefed himself up more with another defense rune and an attack rune. Lucy caught on and sent Gemini back before summoning an Eclipse Form Taurus. Lucy cringed a bit when she did this, making Laxus assume she was running low on magic. Still, the Iron Bull brought forth a metal wall for defense. Virgo jumped on it and Lucy stayed back.

This was a curious move.

Everyone knew Lucy _hated_ using her spirits to fight her battles.

Freed glared at the bull and the maid, wondering who would strike first, yet neither seemed to be moving at all. Not one to judge, his fingers went out to write a rune to summon a wave of electricity, backed up by his own darkness pulse.

"Freed has finally completely tamed his darkness," Laxus noted.

Mira nodded. "It used to be harder for him to jump between the dark magic and the runes."

"This is a good progression, though," Makarov nodded.

Taurus acted as a lightning rod, dropping the book in his suit just fast enough to catch the electricity with one hand and redirect it to the ground with his other hand. Laxus' eyes narrowed, remembering Gajeel doing something incredibly similar. With everyone's attention on Freed and his innate ability to run through spells of small power to find what works and build on that, nobody paid attention to the slight movement of Lucy's lips.

Virgo came down to help Taurus, fighting and moving like clockwork in a dance millennia old. She had great long distance offense and was killer at hand to hand, and he had the best defense of any of her spirits. While he was gaining momentum, Freed only realized his mistake when the sky _audibly_ ripped open to show the cosmos.

Lucy bounced up onto the wall previously made, her eyes glowing a loud golden hue, and threw her arms out to the side to shout the final line of the spell. "Shine! Urano Metria!"

Freed cursed and try as he might, the eighty eight planetary bodies hurling at him were just too much. When one caught him and threw him _harshly_ against the tree bark, he called a very pained " _Tap!_ " out.

Laxus exhaled sharply as he leaned back in his seat and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn…"

"It was spectacular, I was just expecting a little more strategy," Erza commented. "To see that they've both come so far, though… That was the real accomplishment."

Gildarts nodded. "Lucy handled it like a pro. She stuck the over-thinker into a corner of force to make him second guess and question his own tactics. She got Freed to a point where he was thinking so hard on the battle at hand that he forgot to keep tabs on her."

"It's more than that," Jura replied. "She didn't go in thinking she could win against Freed with her tactics. She dumbed herself down just enough to make him overthink his own victories and get carried away with it."

"To put Freed in that situation is the most brilliant thing anyone could have done." Laxus crossed his arms over his chest. "She made him think her strategies were so basic so that he'd stop over thinking and begin under thinking. Getting him away from his sword was a bonus."

"I think it was more well placed than that," Makarov stated. "She made him think she was distracting him for Gemini, only to throw Capricorn into the mix. She pulled him from his sword only to show him Erza. She showed off her eclipse forms, but didn't do anything special with them. This wasn't about winning, it was about taking minimal damage, showing Freed enough of her power to unsettle him and make him _think_ she was going to ham on the offense. You noticed she didn't use any spells other than Urano Metria?"

Orga snickered when Mira gasped.

Erza looked at the screen warily, watching Lucy help Freed up. "She didn't use any spells… This was a showcase of what she could do, and she used small things to keep from taking massive damage just in case she made it through. That's more than I anticipated… I'm so proud of her."

The two managed to slowly make it back to the commons seconds before Wendy and Natsu began their fight. The match between dragon slayers was intense, more so than when Natsu fought Gajeel. Wendy was going in like Lucy had- she wanted to prove her worth as a fighter and not just a healer. It caused their match to be very tear-jerking, but ended as assumed. Natsu won, though surprisingly only by a slim margin. When Wendy had the power to manipulate airflow and, thus, move away enough of the oxygen to make Natsu struggle to breathe and keep his flames alive… Well, some would call it unfair. But still yet, the older of the two moved forward.

And Lucy felt her stomach fall to her feet.

"Lucy?" Yukino asked, stepping warily up to the blonde. "Are you going to be okay fighting Natsu tomorrow?"

"No," she admitted. "But all I can do is try my hardest."

The tigress nodded and took a breath to respond, but paused. Her brown eyes went from Lucy to somewhere behind her and she smiled knowingly. Confused, the blonde looked back just in time to see Laxus put his hand on her shoulder. At least this time, she didn't end up flipping him over. Small victories.

"Walk with me?"

The blonde looked back at Yukino, who nodded reassuringly at her, before turning back to the slayer and nodding her agreement. The two fairies then walked, trekking far off the beaten path to find an appropriate yet secluded area. It wasn't until they found a beach that they stopped. Lucy slipped her shoes off and stood barefoot on the damp sand to allow the tide to wash over her feet freely. Laxus joined her, though he did so hesitantly.

"So."

Lucy nodded at his unspoken question. "I'm as ready as I'll ever get."

He raised a brow and looked down at her. "Promise..?"

She paused but nodded. "The only way I think I'll snap is if he goes easy on me."

Laxus nodded in understanding. "Are you okay, though?"

Her brown eyes went unfocused, though she continued to look out at the sun setting along the oceanic horizon. It took her a moment, and though her eyes remained unfocused and clearly zoned out, her voice was steady. "I… I feel so much better than I have in a long time."

"What do you mean?"

"I feel a lot better about my abilities," she finally focused and looked up at Laxus. "I feel a lot better about my decisions.. About who I am and who I want to be… I'm okay. I feel better than ever."

He smiled softly at her and her heart skipped. "That's great."

"How have you been liking the battles, by the way?" she asked off hand.

Laxus noticed that she wasn't asking about her own. He could only assume she was trying to remain fair about it and not get insight as to how she was doing- which he respected. "They've been hit and miss. I'm surprised at a few of our guildmates and a little let down by others."

She nodded and looked back out at the sky and the constellations coming out. "I have to fight Natsu tomorrow…"

He nodded. "What are you expecting?"

"To lose," she admitted. Though her mouth said one thing, her eyes hardened slightly. "I expect to lose, to be in the hardest battle I've ever been in, and I expect to fail. But it doesn't mean I'm going to roll over and hand him the win. I'll make his life hell when he fights me. I don't know how, yet, but I will."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Atta girl."

"Do you still believe in me?" she asked softly.

He pulled her in closer and wrapped both arms around her. His chin rested on her head and he felt his heart jump when she wrapped her arms around him in return. "Do you still believe in yourself?"

"I do."

"Then yes," he agreed, "I still fully believe in you."

"Thank you, Laxus," she breathed against his collar bone.

A dirty thought raced through his mind and he had to suppress a shudder. He pulled back just a bit when she started to move away, and got surprised when she stood on her tiptoes to place a soft and gentle peck of a kiss on his jaw. Lucy pulled away and sent him the sweetest smile he'd ever seen and began her walk back to camp. With a heavy blush lingering on his cheeks, he looked away from where she was walking to and looked up at the skies.

Knowing that if anyone heard him, he'd seem insane, he still opened his arms out towards the skies. "King, I don't know if you can hear me, but thank you for guiding her to me. I probably sound insane, but I'll take care of her and protect her until my last breath, I swear."

If he had Lucy's keen eyes when it came to the constellations, he'd see Leo's constellation shining just a bit brighter than before.

Far away from him, Lucy curiously looked down at Loke's warming key.

* * *

It was interesting to watch the ex-Phantoms go at it. Both of which _proved_ why they were S-Class and one part of the Element Four. Gajeel pulled moves out of his sleeves that he's rarely used before- like the Iron Shadow mode, his _actual_ Talon move instead of the sword and club he _usually_ went for, his roar that wasn't as exciting, and even his Black Steel scales.

Juvia showed intense prowess as well, and fully took advantage of her now-complete blood bending spell to throw him off course once in a while. The two traded remarks on the field that nobody could really hear, but the match stayed absolutely riveting. On the down side, while Juvia made a few hits here and there and ensured Gajeel wouldn't get away without a scratch, she seemed to be losing. Until the surprise upset, when Juvia smirked triumphantly after dodging one of his breath attacks. Thunder sounded overhead, as a small sprinkle naturally began to pour down.

Juvia in the rain showed to be deadly.

She was able to transfer her body _so quickly_ in the falling rain that Gajeel could swear she was teleporting from place to place. Her hands rose up as she skidded to a stop. "Aqua Pledge!" she shouted. Three geysers shot up from underground, the water steaming so much that it fogged the entire field up and left a hot and heavy mist all around. This only managed to make Juvia even faster, with the amount of water saturating the air. The water may have missed Gajeel, but the streams began to form a large hand.

"Siren's Grasp!"

The hand dove down at an alarming speed and grabbed Gajeel up, not only squeezing him uncomfortably tight, but burning his skin with the boiling hot water. He shifted to his scales quickly, but that only managed to slow the burning process down a small amount. He screamed out in agony and tried to move away from the hand- but couldn't manage to do so.

"Call it, Gajeel-san!"

He roared out. "Never!"

Juvia narrowed her eyes. "Very well then," she said darkly. Her tone made Gajeel stop moving, wondering if he made the wrong call or not. The hand turned him to face her as she rose in the air. She was using the water as a platform to stand and raise her up in a steady stream keeping her at eye level with the slayer. Her eyes glowed bright blue and Gajeel gulped, wondering if this was why she was chosen for the element four.

"Forbidden Spell!"

"Oh _shit_ ," the slayer cursed.

Everyone watching scooted to the edge of their seats.

"Calm the ocean's tumultuous waves, for I call forth the aquatic rage!"

Everyone- including Gajeel- watched in mild shock and horror as white and black colored water came off of her in little orb shapes. It stopped when there were about twenty, and the balls started shaking violently.

"Siren's Wrath!"

The orbs shot out at lightning fast speeds, changing form mid-air to near needle-like droplets that shot _through_ the Iron Slayer's body and broke his scales apart as they did so. He felt his magic _quickly_ decreasing and realized that the pain from the attack was coming because it was forcibly pulling his magic out of his body. Not even through one-fourth of the attack, the slayer finally roared out a " _TAP!"_

The water stopped mid-air and Juvia let the slayer down gently.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Cana were screaming their faces off in joy for their blue haired friend. Erza, Orga, Kagura and Mira seemed to be quickly and excitedly chatting about the match and how quickly it turned around as soon as it started sprinkling. Everyone at camp, no matter who they were rooting for, was excited for Juvia and was extremely pumped up from the intensity of the match. Makarov allowed Lucy and Natsu to wait for the ex-Phantoms to come back before leaving out- instead of passing them to get to the field.

Still, that didn't allow much time, and Lucy went towards the field before Natsu did.

She stood there and assessed the damage. The large pools and puddles left behind, the heavy mistiness of the area, and toed around a while to feel out how loose the mud was. She assessed the entire area, even taking the slightly heavier sprinkling, before she took her position at her side of the field. After standing there for a hot moment, she felt her heart drop as Natsu came walking up to his side. The rain wasn't even getting him wet. He was so strong now that his natural body heat was causing the rain to immediately turn to steam and evaporate before it hit his flesh. On the bright side- or maybe it was the down side- it was causing the mist to grow heavier. She could barely see him, but she could see enough. He had a sad smile on his face, but he otherwise seemed unphased.

"I'm not holding back, Natsu," she called to him.

His pink hair swayed a bit when he nodded. "Neither am I, Luce."

"Good."

Laxus scooted to the edge of his seat and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "The rain isn't hitting him."

"That doesn't bode well for Lucy," Orga admitted, watching the screen cautiously as he crossed his arms over his shoulders.

Mira sighed. "Beating Natsu is going to be an uphill battle…"

"No joke," the lightning dragon agreed. "It was tricky for me to win. I beat his ass, but it didn't come easy."

"If you had trouble," Gildarts said as he looked at the blonde, "I doubt she'll pull a win... Her best bet is to make him tap first."

"Don't discredit her," Erza scolded. "She has brains on her side that'll help her do just that, and knows when to tap if it gets to be too much."

"She also has a hidden ace," Laxus said.

"Make that pocket aces," Orga added. "There's still one more form you guys haven't seen."

"Oh, how powerful would you say it is? Since Eclipse looks stronger than it actually is." Mira asked curiously.

His eyes narrowed a smidge. "I would say it's the strongest Ace she has. She put up a fight with me in God Mode. Didn't win, but had me sweating more than once."

Laxus' brows shot up at that. "She may get it then."

"It costs a massive amount of magic," the god slayer quickly cut in. "She wouldn't be able to hold it long enough to last to hold the whole battle."

"No," Laxus agreed, "but the conditions are perfect for her, thanks to Juvia."

"What?" Erza asked pointedly, her mind quickly racing to the correct assumption.

The dragon shrugged it off, knowing the redhead was in for a shock soon. "Cetus is a water spirit. Though he's a silver key, she also has intense knowledge on this… Don't forget about her star dresses."

The redhead didn't move her narrowed gaze away until Makarov sounded off with the countdown.

Neither partner moved from their rather casual looking stance.

" _BEGIN!_ "

Yet neither mage moved.

Natsu raised a curious brow at her, wondering why she hadn't moved.

"I thought so," she breathed out under her breath. He wasn't going to go easy on her, but he was allowing her the first move. Her eyes narrowed a bit at him and she growled out- just loud enough for him to hear- "I'll make you regret this."

He smirked and held his hand out, flicking his wrist as though to tell her to bring it.

Lucy crouched low and ran foward, ignoring her keys at first. He dodged right and she placed her foot down and pivoted almost instantly, her foot leaving an imprint in the soft topsoil. Just before she struck out at him, she changed into Taurus' star dress. Even though he easily blocked her, he skidded back and left drag marks in the mud with his feet from where the force of said punch pushed him back a bit.

His eyes hardened and he struck out with a flaming fist. Lucy bounced back in a backflip, his fist barely missing her. She used the momentum from the flip to almost immediately rush towards him, her whip out and ready to strike. He jumped back and narrowly avoided her whip, his hands hitting the ground and sending a wave of fire at her. She bounced up and missed the fire.

"A decent start. Feeling out how far the other is going to go," Jura commented.

"They're seeing who will make the first big move," Mira said.

And Natsu was the one. He jumped up in the air and let off a fire dragon's roar. Lucy switched her star dress to Aquarius' form and quickly built a shield out of the rain. The fire hit the wall of water and erupted into a thicker, denser fog. With the cover, Lucy dove down and silently made her first summon. Arguably her most important summon. And her mind was already reeling. Against Natsu, she _had_ to break out Metria Forme. Not only that, but she needed to space out her summons so that her magic wouldn't deplete super fast.

She decided a second would be useful and silently summoned the next one.

This was a _very_ risky move, since secondary forms drained her magic faster than she would ever be used to- especially the one she would end up breaking out. No, neither of her current summons were in a second form, but it was _two_ spirits out. She had to keep a _very_ diligent eye on her magic containers, or else she'd end up tapping before much of an actual fight happened. She tapped her spirit's shoulder, cuing him to watch for her move.

Her eyes narrowed, trying to see Natsu through the fog. The only thing she could see was him with his nose up like a dog. She gave a small signal to the closer of the two spirits and rushed forwards at him, striking out with her whip wrapped in water. Natsu caught it mid-air and yanked her towards him. Lucy adjusted to be flying at Natsu with her foot out first. He seemed to be prepared, since he moved just barely out of the way and grabbed her ankle. His mere touch, despite the rain, burned a hand print into her ankle- though this time it was on purpose because of their fight. He swung her around in a circle before tossing her towards the treeline.

"Try harder!" He shouted.

"Cetus! Now!" The blonde lass barely managed to shout the two words before slamming into a tree awkwardly. Hopefully her arm was going to be fine. Always the left arm, why was it always the left arm.

Natsu cursed. "Shit, where is he?!"

From the mist, the shadows grew and grew until it almost looked like it was midnight. Natsu bolted towards the source, only to be caught by a blast of water. " _Force Wave!"_

The slayer growled as the brunt of the water forced him back against a tree. There was a fleeting thought about this being nothing compared to another spirit of hers… But then the voice sounded. The familiar voice he hadn't heard since Tartaros.

" _DROWN, NATSU!_ "

Erza jumped out of her seat at the voice. "Aquarius?!"

"Holy shit, when did she get Aquarius back?!" Gray shouted from the back end of the camp.

The harsh _typhoon_ of water that rushed out of her jug not only made Natsu feel like a truck was slamming into him but it also completely uprooted the tree he was pinned against. He growled in frustration as he was forced further and further away, and let flames start licking his skin and began running against the current to get to the spirit.

"DAMMIT, LUCE, THIS ISN'T A HAPPY REUNION!"

"TOO BAD, FLAME BREATH!" She cackled a bit, using the night-like shadows and the rain to her advantage.

"No, really, when did she find Aquarius?" Gray reiterated as he ran up to the S-Class mages.

"She didn't." Laxus looked back at the ice mage. "I did."

Erza looked to the lightning slayer with wide eyes. Then, she smiled gently. "She was happy, wasn't she?"

Laxus _clearly_ remembered her soaking wet form kissing him hopelessly at his door. He blushed a bit but nodded. "She was."

"Damn, _damn_ Casanova!" Organization loudly teased as he nudged the dragon's shoulder.

"Shut up and pay attention, oaf."

"Time to put it all out," whispered to herself. Her hand reached to her keyring and she grabbed the key she _knew_ was possibly her last chance. Her star dress changed to an elegant black dress. Natsu finally broached the mermaid to find her smirking before vanashing in sparkles. He stumbled forward, no longer having a current to fight against, and looked over at his blonde friend. Then, a blinding light came from where Lucy stood. He had to shield his eyes quickly. The shadows from Cetus (and Cetus himself) vanished under the intensity of the light. Then, his ears started burning from the volume of the outrageously loud _roar_ that resonated from her place.

"Here it is," Orga proudly proclaimed.

"Leo! Metria Forme!"

The wave of air that rushed away from the spirit from the roar made the fog _instantly_ rush away. Left there in the clearing was Lucy with her whip glowing gold, her eyes burning the same molten metal color, and at her side was Leo.

Though, not the Leo they've seen.

There stood an eight foot tall lion with bright golden flames in place of it's mane and flickering from all four paws. It's teeth glowed white, it's eyes giving off a white glow as well. Lucy raised her hands, now flickering with the same white glow, and rushed towards Natsu. "Regulus Rush!"

"Holy _Shit_ that's a _big ass lion_!" Gildarts yelled.

Makarov laughed a bit as he walked up. "That's our own Loke."

"No _fucking_ way!" Gray shouted.

"Yep, that's Loke alright," Orga praised with a wide smirk and a violent glimmer in his teal eyes.

Natsu blocked her strike, but it _stung_ to block. He struck out with his fire talon, catching the edge of her dress and burning her side something horrible. Loke rushed forward, leaning to chomp down on the slayer, but _barely_ missed as Natsu dove away. He jumped back with a wing attack, but Leo's mane _absorbed_ Natsu's flames. He cursed and jumped back, trying to figure out how to handle Loke like this. He turned to Lucy, horrified to see her holding out a second key.

"One more," she said mostly to herself. She needed one more to stand a chance. "Sagittarius!"

Natsu watched in abject horror as Sagittarius came through his gate- though, thankfully, it was the only way he'd ever seen Sagittarius. Still, he quickly caught on to her strategy. Lucy was fast and nimble, moving from mid-range to close-range fighting. Loke, like this, was _terrifying_ but primarily close range from what he could tell. Adding in a _distance_ fighter like Sagittarius was her best move. He only got two seconds to see Sagittarius, though. The lion swiped out and while the white claws were no where near Natsu, the shockwave littered with magic remnants of Regulus' power hit him like a brick to the face and threw him back. He felt blood at his side, but turned his attention to Leo nonetheless. Lucy flinched for a moment and he barely caught it in his peripheral. This took a lot of magic to hold. If he could last long enough to drain her, that's all it would take.

His eyes narrowed and he tried revamping his strategy, sending a fire dragon's roar at the Lion only to see the flames, yet again, be absorbed by the mane. It was enough of a distraction for Lucy to catch his wrist with her whip and lock on. He looked back to her with wide eyes and saw her flying at him foot first. He scooted out of the way at the last second, but felt heat encompass him as Leo roared at him. He ate the Regulus flames easily enough, but he could tell why she chose this form. Leo's flames were hard to eat and _very_ filling. Lucy knew he wouldn't be able to eat _all_ of them.

"You're smart, Luigi," he commented as he kicked out at Loke's teeth.

She laughed loudly. "You've gotten smarter, too."

Laxus watched, wide eyed, as the massive lion let out such an intense roar that white light erupted from his mouth and not only deafened but also blinded Natsu. On the heels of this roar, Sagittarius was quick to fire off shot after shot to leave arrows _raining_ down on them. It _seriously_ didn't help that the arrows were acting like small dynamite sticks, absorbing the Regulus energy then _exploding_ wherever they landed. The slayer cringed and jumped back to wipe at his eyes so he could actually _see_ to dodge the mini explosions.

He watched Lucy gear up for another attack from her person.

"She's cornering him," Gildarts said softly.

"Facing a behemoth, of any power or length of time, is very difficult," Jura nodded. "Loke is drawing off of Lucy, so to whittle her down is his best move."

"She's using it to her advantage, again," Laxus noted. "She's been the one deciding the pace of every battle she's been in. I don't know how she managed that."

Leo shined a blinding white all over and began running around at a fast pace, brightening the entire field so Natsu had a harder time even opening his eyes. But at the end, Leo managed to run right _over_ the pink haired man, squashing him into the ground as the slayer screamed. Lucy yelled at Sagittarius to move now, and they watched the spirit pull out a new bow. He pulled _nothing_ back, not a single arrow, and everyone watched as the magic lingering in the air began to form a strong and glowing arrow. "Magic Shot!" the spirit shouted as he let go and the arrow soared through the sky towards Natsu.

The fire slayer managed to dodge the arrow, but got caught by a powerful Lucy Kick that sent him flying back into it. He shouted in pain as the arrow struck his thigh and promptly _melted the flesh there_. Natsu growled out and let loose a massive wave of fire and heat off of himself, only to watch in frustration as Leo jumped in front of Lucy to absorb the fire coming at her. When he landed on the ground, his paws sent out a _massive_ shock wave. Even from camp, they felt the ground rumble and was terrified to see _magma_ start pouring out of the fissures left behind by the stomp.

Natsu, though a fire slayer, had to move from the lava. The heat didn't bother him, but if the lava touched him… Actually, he wasn't sure what would happen. But it was better to not test it in the heat of battle. His eyes narrowed and he jumped to throw a fire dragon's talon at the centaur archer, subsequently knocking him back into the Celestial Realm. At least he didn't have to worry about fucking _arrows_ anymore. He then moved quick enough to get around the Lion and fire off three rapid-fire attacks at Lucy. Unfortunately, only two hit her- the fire roar and the fire-lightning talon. With Leo in Metria Forme, her star dress gave her a little bit of fire resistance, but not enough to get out unscathed. Her arms, shoulders, legs... All burned by the fire. Though, surprisingly enough, the electricity in his second attack didn't actually hurt her, just made her skin tingle.

Lucy briefly wondered if that was because even though Natsu had the power, it was _Laxus_ ' magic...

That thought quickly left her as the pain from the burns rocketed through her body and she screamed out.

Leo roared at this and leapt up high enough that Natsu had to squint to see him again.

This proved to be the worst move, since Lucy had recovered and grabbed him with her whip and, _finally_ , managed to land a regulus powered kick onto his face. He moved in time to not _die_ (which was an exaggeration, mind you. He wouldn't have died, it just would have hurt a lot more than it did-), but the brunt of her attack hit his nose. He heard the crack, felt the intense pain, and felt the blood well up. Surprisingly, this was the first time his nose had been broken, despite the amount of battles he's fought.

Loke then came down, claws made of white-hot fire coming down and pinning the slayer to the ground.

" _ **TAP!**_ " both mages shouted at the same time.

Natsu thought he'd been cornered, but the moment the word left both mages' mouths, Loke disappeared in a shower of sparkles. Lucy fell to her knees, panting heavily and back in her own clothes. He looked over at her, ignoring the pain coming from his profusely bleeding nose. Her side was burned in many places, she had several scratches, scrapes and bruises, her left arm was swelling and she was suffering from heavily depleted magic containers… And all he really had was a broken nose, a horribly disfigured spot on his thigh and a cut on his side. Sure, he had a few bruises and cuts and general scuffs from the exploding arrows from earlier, but even that didn't make him look as bad as she did. Lucy wasn't in the same boat as he was.

Yet she made him _think_ he was hopeless.

"You earned everything you worked for, Luce."

She saw him wince at his nose.

She laughed tiredly. "I pushed myself too far… I don't think I can walk right now."

If she could hold her offense longer, Natsu had no doubt that she'd be the type of person to make the opponents fully _believe_ she would destroy them without ever really needing to. She could get people to tap with a well-placed move and enough grit and fire to make it seem like things would only get worse if they kept fighting. Natsu felt... Felt _proud_ of her. Proud to call her his friend and ex-partner. He took a breath to ask her something, but was cut off.

Thunder sounded.

Laxus was there almost immediately, helping Lucy up as gently as possible. The pink haired slayer watched the woman take one step and her knee buckled. The two murmured an argument that he wasn't paying attention to as he sat up and raised his hand to his nose.

There was a weird happiness lingering.

He wasn't upset seeing the woman he thought he loved go.

He was happy for her.

This was definitely a step in the right direction.

Makarov let everyone wind down from the day and relax a bit, though the S-Class mages were missing. It was obvious that they were with the master talking about the results. It took nearly five hours for everyone to be mostly healed, and at least another three for the S-Class mages to come out. It was nearing dusk at that point, but nobody was tired. This was the _promotion_ time. Sure, it would wait until tomorrow when they headed back to be _official_ , but this was official enough. Even the anticipation to hear who made it was tense.

The S-Class mages all stood behind Makarov- even the ones not from Fairy Tail. And the little man cleared his throat loudly to capture everyone's attention. And he damn well had it.

"Our four mages have been chosen, but it wasn't an easy decision by any means. I was very impressed by each and every one of you, and I'm so proud to see you come this far. Unfortunately, I only have four promotions, so… It needed to be analyzed. You can talk to me about it later should you have questions about why you were or were not chosen."

Smiles littered the audience he was speaking to, so he smiled back.

"Now. The promoted mages are… Freed Justine." He paused just long enough for cheers to calm down. Freed seemed genuinely shocked, considering he didn't actually fight three times, but bowed in thanks nonetheless. "Juvia Lockser." The water woman blushed shyly and smiled gratefully, offering her own bow of thanks to their guildmaster. Again, another pause to wait for the very loud cheers. "Gajeel Redfox." The iron slayer smirked cockily, but instead of doing something for himself, he wrapped an arm around Juvia's shoulders and tugged her close to him. It was obvious that this moment meant the world to the two ex-Phantoms. Though his praise wasn't as loud as Juvia's, he wasn't upset about it. The excitement that the lass wrought up was well earned.

This time, the silence dragged on for a moment longer.

"And Lucy Heartfilia."

It felt like _screams_ erupted for her promotion, but she also felt like her world was tilting off it's axis yet again. Everything seemed ever so slightly off, her head swimming, and the tension she'd built up left so fast that she thought her knees might give out. She looked to Laxus, who was smiling reassuringly at her, and her eyes misted over. The cheers only seemed to get louder when she ran and launched herself into his arms.

"Congrats, Blondie. I'm proud of you."

Her heart skipped a beat.

She clung tighter to him.

"Thanks, Sparky."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Author's Note:** I don't even know why I bother making plans anymore. FAHSFJK. Anyway, long story short for those who care; Real life got in the way of me writing this. My sister had her baby, problems happened at work, family drama went down, I got addicted to Pokemon Go (again), my mental health wasn't the best, etc. etc. Anyway, I'm FINALLY back to update this._

 _I'm not making any more promises on uploading because every time I do, something happens that makes that update date change. But know I'm gonna work as much as I can on this, but with the holidays coming up, I can't promise a lot. I'll do my damndest, though, and that much you CAN hold me to. Here is, finally, the moment so many of you were just waiting on, and I'm so happy to bring this to you. c:_

 _I hope you all like it, I hope you can forgive me for taking 2839425 years to post this, and I hope you all have a wonderful Halloween / Samhain! Have a Merry Day, I wish you the best!_

* * *

The parties that broke out afterwards, specifically hosted by Fairy Tail, were intense. The guild's parties were known for being… _Outlandish_ , but this time was a whole new level. When they got home, they weren't only greeted by Fairies, but also from members of allied guilds who watched it as it was broadcasted on their LVs. The parties lasted two whole weeks, where in those promoted barely had time to sit with Makarov or get the appropriate promotion paperwork done. They were able to get a few smaller answers for their questions, though. Natsu nor Gray were planning and were solely relying on their strength to pull them through, whereas Gajeel knew when to boost defenses or his offense and one when to strike and when not to.

Wendy showed _awe inspiring_ skill, but unlike the calmer and lower level one had to be when Mira and Erza were promoted, they wanted to give the lass a little more time to age and grow before promotion. That was literally the only reason, which proved just how fearsome the youngest dragon slayer was. Cana had all the qualifications, she just didn't believe in herself enough to bet on herself and showed hesitance in quite a few of her own spells.

All in all, their questions were answered. Their stomachs were filled by their guildmates buying their booze or guild meals as a means of congratulations. And their spirits were on high from the partying.

When things began to wind down and relax halfway through the second week, that's when things finally began to get back where it needed to be. More specifically, that's when Laxus was finally able to get Lucy out for dinner again. The night was lighthearted, both dressed _down_ to come to an Alvarezan restaurant, wearing really nothing special. Lucy was wearing a large t-shirt that, though Laxus _did_ think was rather cute on her, he hated dearly. Mostly because it was Gray's and despite obviously coming from the blonde's house, it still smelled a bit like the ice mage.

She wore black leggings under the t-shirt and black flats. He wore sweatpants- as the weather was getting cooler- and a dark three-quarter sleeve shirt that was a bit tight but breathable.

"So how's life been?" he asked before he took a sip of his tea.

She shrugged. "Other than everyone offering to buy my drinks and food at the guild, relatively the same. I'm just happy that's behind us now." Lucy shoveled a bite of barbecued beef into her mouth. "Too much stress," she said through the food, referring to the tests.

He nodded in agreement. "It stressed me out when I took the tests, too."

"Really?" Her brows went up in astonishment.

Laxus nodded. "Sure did. Did I show anyone that? No." He lifted a shish kebab to his face. "But it was a moment where I was afraid to let everyone expecting greatness from me down. Macao was my biggest competitor."

The lass thought about that for a moment but nodded her understanding after a second. "After the mission Natsu and I had to go save him from for Romeo, I don't doubt it. Nowadays, Vulcan aren't much, but… We've all grown a lot since then."

Laxus smirked a bit. "You _do_ know you were always going to be promoted, right?"

Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

Yes, she thought- what with that remark he made- that he may have rigged it. However, he put the kebab down after biting a few beef strips and mushrooms off, and held his hands up in surrender. This only confused her further, but she waited for him to finish his bite for him to respond.

"You wanted it so bad you didn't stop training," he elaborated. "The others didn't want it that bad. You were the top pick because even in your match with Juvia, it showed."

Lucy shook her head. "Juvia went easy on me. She went easy on everyone before Gajeel."

"But the same could be said about you," he countered. "You didn't bring half of what you had, even against Freed. Which, by the way, the Erza bluff was so beautifully executed."

She smirked and waved her fork a bit. "Thank you, thank you. I didn't expect anyone to see through it, but I'm not surprised you did."

"The armor wasn't as damaged as it is now," he explained.

"Yeah, I know. But back on topic," she continued. "Why are you so sure about that?"

He shrugged and took another drink before explaining. "Natsu and Gray are cut from the same cloth, even if they don't want to acknowledge it. They think that strength enough will pull you through to S-Class if you show enough. If that were truly the case, they both would have come back to the guild after Tartaros as S-Class mages. But they never really understood that it isn't strength that makes an S-Class mage."

Lucy obviously got him started on his soapbox, but she didn't mind. His voice was soothing and yet stirring her gut into a frenzy of butterflies, but it made her so happy to know he was willing to talk this much around her. While he talked, she ate but listened diligently.

"Gajeel almost didn't make it, in favor of Wendy… But she needs time to grow mentally. She has everything else we look for; compassion, understanding, strategy, guts, grit and enough power and ability for assessment so that we don't have to worry about her. But she's still learning a lot about life in general. Adding the stress that comes with being S-Class would only cause one of two things- emotional hardening like Erza, or an emotional snap if something awry happened- like Mira."

This made Lucy speak up. "But Erza was always pretty stiff, and a death can cause anyone to reassess who they are, trust me on that one."

He nodded in understanding. "And I'm not discounting that. What I _am_ saying, though, is that it _worsened_. Erza was more open as a child and, through battling and seeing some nasty shit on her solo S-Class missions, eventually closed up. Even being in the Tower doesn't mean she was ready to deal with some of the missions she went on. And Mira didn't change that drastically after Lisanna's death. She changed and got softer- even made the oath to not use magic- after it happened, yes, but she still had responsibilities that gave her very little time to really mourn. If Wendy happened to go through a tragedy like that, I highly doubt that at her age, she'd be able to accept responsibility while also taking time to mourn."

Lucy thought this over and nodded, finally accepting what he was trying to get across.

He took another bite of food before continuing. "Cana was damn near almost chosen instead of Gajeel, too, but her problem was obvious in both of her battles. She was willing to put all of her faith in others and not willing to spare any for herself. Sometimes, you _have_ to bet on yourself. Putting Cana as S-Class with such little faith in herself would only cause her to overthink every mission she goes on and cause a deterioration of her psyche.

"But you?" he asked as he motioned to her. "You already proved to be everything we needed. You proved it during the last Games we entered- specifically during the Naval Battle and your match against Flare. You protected your guildmates and knew to lay low until Asuka was safe. You then took a bet on yourself to win- which you would have if they hadn't have cheated- and proved that despite being called weak, you still believed in your spirits enough to believe in yourself as a repercussion."

She felt herself blush harder and harder with every word that he said.

"You showed resilience," he continued without pause, "and heart, diligence and showed your strategy even in the face of Juvia in the water. You showed your guts to stand up to Minerva and showed your grit and determination to get through it. When Fairy Tail disbanded, you kept tabs on everyone and made sure to know most everyone's whereabouts in the event that we'd reform. You've always showed all the qualifications, you just didn't have the strength to back it up yet. After Alvarez? None of us- no matter how far you made it- would have voted against you. Now, you're a monster though."

Lucy looked down at her hands sheepishly, not knowing what to say.

This seemed weirdly familiar.

Laxus saying sweet things that leave her speechless. At least this time, it wasn't about friends falling in love.

 _Whoops_.

Now she was thinking about that again.

And it seemed like her silence was worrying. "Blondie?"

She snapped out of her spiraling thoughts, still _very_ red-faced, and promptly shoved a huge bite of food into her mouth. "...Gross."

His brows furrowed. "Is the food too cold or…?"

Lucy shook her head and refused to look him in the eye. "You're being all sappy and gross."

He snorted, now understanding that she didn't know how to respond. To be fair, it wasn't like he was going to openly admit that he'd kept his eyes on her since he was reinstated… But this was close enough. "And that's gross?"

"Yes."

"You're a dork."

She gasped. "Rude!"

"Thank you," he belched out. "Glad you know I am."

Her nose crinkled at this. "Now _that's_ gross."

"Oh please," he waved off. "You've done grosser."

She could clearly remember walking for almost an entire day in drying wyvern blood. "...Fair enough."

He chuckled and nudged her arm with his finger.

She tilted her head.

Then, he smiled softly at her. "I'm glad we're doing this again."

Her heart stuttered. "O-Oh… I am too… I, uh…" Lucy paused to look down at her almost empty plate. Maybe she can finally ask about where they were. "I… I have a question… About u-"

She was then cut off by her comm bleating out an annoying alarm sound. She quickly snapped her mouth shut and frantically pulled the communications lacrima out of her purse, once again refusing to look at him. This wasn't lost on him, nor was it lost just _what_ she was going to ask. However, he didn't know exactly what the question was. His heart was beating _scarily_ fast and he was almost too relieved for the interruption. But, if he was so relieved.. Why did he feel a little disappointed?

"It's an S.O.S."

His eyes snapped to her. It was rare anyone sent them out anymore.

"Yukino and Orga were on a mission to take out a dark guild and were overwhelmed by the master. They need help ASAP," she quickly read off as she stood up and began gathering her things.

He bit his lower lip but made a decision. "...Where at? I'll go with you."

She _finally_ looked back up at him with wide eyes. "...Okay. It's just outside of Oak Town."

"That's close enough," he admitted and urgently flagged down a waiter. "I'll pay and port us. We'll need to get there as soon as we can."

Lucy watched him talk to the waiter carefully before sending a small message to Virgo. Hopefully the maid could gather her things quickly because while she did have her keys, she did _not_ have her whip. Only then did a thought occur to her. "...If they sent _me_ the S.O.S. then it means it's something I can handle over anyone else. What is that?"

Laxus didn't speak until the waiter had more than enough jewel for the meal in his hand before he spoke. "You're the only holder mage that's S-Class that I can think of, since Mystogan's gone." Something about his words made his stomach drop. This suddenly didn't bode well with him. "I'm still going with you."

"I never said you shouldn't."

"Good. Come on," he urged. She went to follow him without question, but he still took her hand in his. This tiny little action made her stomach do a flip and she quickly realized just how deep she was. Maybe going on an S.O.S. call with him wasn't the best idea… But in the same breath, two S-Class mages were better than one.

Lucy didn't even hesitate to step into his arms when he got ready to port them.

"It'll take about two jumps to get there, so be ready to get into battle as soon as we land."

She nodded, quickly trying to get a response from Virgo. The maid still didn't have her whip but offered one of her own to tide the blonde over until the mission was over. Lucy sighed a bit but squeezed Laxus' waist to let him know that she was as ready as she could be.

His magic engulfed her again, and she was reminded of just how gentle the lightning could be. It appalled her nearly every time she felt it, since lightning was typically so destructive and so powerful, but _Laxus'_ magic… It never hurt her. It engulfed her, filled her, surrounded her and protected her. It soothed her worries and it was easily one of the most fulfilling feelings. She could only hope that her mothers' words about magic being gentle in love were true.

She hoped it was.

Hope.

Once again, Lucy realized how deep she was.

It took maybe ten seconds for the two blondes to get to the battle site, and upon landing, Lucy jumped away from Laxus to get straight to the fight… Well, she was… Until Orga screamed out.

" _LAXUS, GO HOME!_ "

The dragon slayer, on high alert, was suddenly smacked in the face by a wave of something that Lucy wasn't affected by. Something that caused the slayer to drop to his knees almost immediately. It raised the hairs on her neck and had her glaring at the green clad woman hovering just above the ground. Yukino seemed to have a decent enough grasp on the battle for Lucy to have a little wiggle room.

"What's going on," the lass demanded.

The god slayer, flat on the ground, looked up at her in pain. "She can cancel out ability magic. It feels like I don't have access to my magic container, Shortstack."

Lucy's brown eyes went wide at this.

A mage grows so dependent on their magic and their containers that suddenly ripping a mage away from the container could kill them. Her eyes went back to Laxus, who was doubled over on his knees. He coughed horribly and Lucy couldn't unsee the blood that came out when he did. The man already had a bad enough problem with Ethernano, adding this to the mix…

Then, Lucy saw red.

Hatred, anger, panic and adrenaline flooded her veins. When her wide, wild and near feral eyes turned back to the woman Yukino just got knocked away from, they were glowing an alarming golden hue. The assumed dark guildmaster looked at the blonde with a cocky smirk on her face and flicked her red hair back as though the other celestial mage wasn't more than a flea to her.

"Another holder mage?" she taunted. "When will you lot learn that holder mages will never be as strong as casters?"

Lucy's hair lifted from her shoulders in an unseen and unfelt wind.

The guildmaster cackled. "You can't touch your magical object without being burned, pretty little girl. Everything magical has been turned to poison because of my spell!"

Lucy _growled_.

Laxus peeked open a clenched eye to look at his mate.

"I don't _need_ to touch anything," she snarled. A golden magic circle encompassed her, blinding the woman long enough for the fairy to now be in Cancer's stardress.

The redhead narrowed her eyes dangerously. "How can you requip under this spell."

"It's not requip and it's not _my_ magic," she growled out.

Cancer was her fastest spirit.

She already had a wicked fast speed because of her training with Orga.

Combining these elements instead of using Cancer's blades was what she _knew_ would give her the win. She trusted Cancer, but more than that…

Lucy was out for blood.

Laxus could barely keep his mate in sight, despite being used to _massive_ speeds himself. Yukino blinked and suddenly the blonde was in front of her. Lucy jumped up, changing to Taurus' star dress so fast Laxus wondered if _Erza's requipping speeds_ could keep up. The blonde grabbed the back of the woman's head and tugged it down _hard_ , connecting her knee with the guildmaster's face. The woman flew up a little more then fell back _hard_ in a double-whammy. First a _powerful_ knee to the face, then landing awkwardly on her shoulders on the ground afterwards.

Laxus felt the guildmaster's hold on the spell he fell under loosen. It seemed like Orga did, too, as they both managed to get into a one-knee kneeling position. The dragon looked over at the ogre, only to see him share a knowing look with Yukino. What that meant, he didn't know. His attention was quickly brought back to the fight when the dark mage let out a shriek of frustration.

Her red hair went wild, her eyes glowing green. "WHAT _ARE_ YOU, YOU BITCH?!"

Lucy dodged the haphazard spiked vine that bolted straight at her. It turned as though trying to stab her and she jumped up _onto_ the wildly flicking green tendril. "Your worst fucking nightmare," she growled out as she jumped again and changed to Gemini's star dress. "A Celestial Mage."

"DON'T LIE TO _ME_! THAT'S _IMPOSSIBLE_!" The dark mage screamed again and held her hand out to send a wave of acid-like poison at the blonde. "YOUR KEYS WOULD HAVE POISONED YOU! YOU'RE NOT EVEN USING KEYS!"

"Cetus!" she called.

Not having to touch her key to summon a spirit was such a convenient thing at the moment.

The spirit came out in a little flourish before drawing the poison to his body. She could sense the magic of the dark mage and could tell it was quickly fleeting. Lucy didn't know what was causing the rapid depletion, but she assumed it had something to do with the consistent use of a spell that blocked ability mages from their magic containers. At least this would end sooner than she anticipated.

 _If you believe in yourself, I'll believe in you_.

The memory of Laxus' words only managed to make her more anxious to finish this fight _fast_. He meant too much to her. She _couldn't_ lose him.

She _couldn't_.

This was her moment.

Then, in that very moment, everything clicked into place.

She knew she loved him, that wasn't anything new. However, things she didn't know were connected suddenly pieced together. Erza's sudden acceptance of her feelings towards Laxus. Natsu's almost stated words. Ever's adamance that Laxus doesn't lie even after Laxus seemingly poured his heart out for her. He _did_ pour his heart out for her. His magic didn't lie. He loved her. More than that, she quickly pieced together that she was most likely his mate.

She realized he lead her into their comfortable current relationship because he must've known that she wasn't as confident as she seemed to be. He must've known that she needed the time to feel for him. He knew this and never once brought it up, brought up his feelings. He _did_ have ulterior motives, but they were centered around making her fall for him so he didn't scare her off.

 _The world fell away, leaving only you for me to see_.

 _You already proved to be everything we needed. You proved it during the last Games we entered- specifically during the Naval Battle and your match against Flare._

 _I knew it was love when you plagued my dreams._

 _Stay?_

 _Two dozen roses for a woman who looks stunning in red._

 _Let's get you home._

 _Anything for you._

 _Are you okay, though?_

 _Every single time I see you, I fall in love all over again._

Her heart filled to the brim. Acceptance, excitement and happiness flooded her being for less than a second. The image of Laxus coughing up blood replayed in her mind and those great emotions were _quickly_ replaced with yet another surge of anger and hatred directed at the dark mage, as well as another huge wave of adrenaline. She couldn't lose him. She wouldn't lose him. She'd never leave him like that.

Lucy, still standing behind Cetus as he collected the poison, did the thing she swore she wouldn't. The thing she promised her spirit she wouldn't do unless she thought it absolutely necessary. Even though she did nothing in Gemini's dress, she changed to Capricorn's.

Now dressed in a black tuxedo-like suit with horns coming from her head, her hair in a tight and high ponytail, Lucy jumped _past_ the silver spirit. Ignoring the stinging pain from the light and faint splatter of the last of the poison, she rushed towards the dark mage with a sense of absolute urgency. Mentally, she called an apology to Capricorn and a wish for Virgo to appear- who did so without her name even being called.

"I haven't seen this star dress before," Laxus idly said.

"This must be Capricorn's…" Yukino watched with wide eyes as the blonde looked absolutely fearsome like this.

Virgo worked quickly, burrowing under the ground before three chains shot up at the dark mage. One captured her left wrist, one her right, and one around her right ankle. Without Lucy's entire focus, this was all Virgo could manage.

The image of Lucy using Capricorn's Palm Strike on the woman with such force that it obviously broke her jaw was forever imprinted in Laxus' mind. The blood splattering from the redhead's mouth, the angry and determined look in her glowing eyes, the slight upturn of her upper lip to bare her teeth in an angry snarl… She was _so fucking radiant_ in his eyes.

The dark mage was hit with such brutal force that it _almost_ made Taurus' star dress seem like child's play. She rocketed towards the ground, the chains snapping apart and breaking the joints they were originally around, and when she impacted it caused a deep crater. This was all thanks to Virgo, making it so that there would be even more damage by tunnelling beneath the topsoil.

For a moment, Laxus didn't understand why she never used this star dress- but then, it became very obvious.

It was somehow too powerful.

It didn't make her as fast as Cancer's did. It wasn't as strong as Taurus'. It didn't give her elemental control like Aquarius'. It didn't give her a magical force behind everything like Leo's. It wasn't as defensive as Virgo's or Aries'. Yet still, it was the perfect star dress for _Lucy_. Laxus quickly realized, just after Lucy landed what should have been an impossible Lucy Kick to the woman's side, exactly what this star dress did. It boosted the most devastating of her abilities- it boosted her accuracy. The biggest fault in Celestial magic was mostly centered around missing attacks, as if you missed it created an opening to get close and get those keys. Lucy, however, already had near-deadly accuracy as is…

Now, it was like she'd never miss.

"Capricorn is her Ophiuchus," Yukino whispered in awe.

Orga turned to his girlfriend and tilted his head. "What do you mean, Kino?"

The tigress pointed at the lass. "Every star dress will boost something for the mage, if not multiple things. But, there will be one star dress that a mage _shouldn't_ use because it'll make the mage _too much_ ," she explained. "Lucy's never really had a problem with accuracy. Most, if not all, of her misses come from the opponent dodging. Boosting that means she'd never miss her attacks."

Laxus raised his brows. "And why is that a bad thing?"

"It's not," she agreed. "But, there are laws we as Celestial Spirit Mages have to abide by. The laws here on Earthland and the laws in the Celestial Realm. One of which states that a mage can never abuse the power of their spirits, in any regard. Using a star dress that makes you deadly too many times can easily be seen as abusing the power leant to us."

Orga nodded at this. "What's Ophiuchus do?"

"Boosts my regeneration," she admitted. "Being mated-"

" _Bonded_. I'm not a fuckin' barbaric _dragon slayer_ ," Orga 'scolded' (though it was an obvious tease to Laxus).

"Excuse you?"

"Being _bonded_ ," she clarified, cutting off the dick measuring contest, "to a slayer means I can heal much faster than should be humanly possible already. Boosting that further means I'd take almost no damage at all, at any time."

" _YOU WON'T HURT HIM!_ "

Their attention quickly went back to Lucy, who dodged another vine attack by running up the spiked tendril. She jumped up above the dark mage and held her leg out. They watched as a spiral of stars came off of her leg. The blonde _somehow_ did a flip mid-fucking-air (and Laxus was now convinced that she was half-cat) and dropped the glowing leg onto the redhead's face. The moment it impacted, the already weak spell Laxus and Orga were still barely suffering from completely vanished.

"COSMIC KICK!"

The dark mage once again was kicked into the crumbling earth.

She didn't move after that, now knocked _completely_ out. The woman would later wake to find she'd broken _several_ bones in her fight against Lucy, but for now, she just lay motionless on the ground.

However, Laxus was quick to use his lightning to- once again- catch Lucy as she fell.

She looked up at him with those big eyes that made his heart stutter.

Her smile made his heart _flood_ as she changed back into clothes she wore before.

"Laxus," she weakly said.

Then promptly passed out in his arms.

He sighed, looking down at her with a warm smile.

"Prince?" Virgo asked as she approached.

Confused about the sudden title, Laxus could only manage a confused look.

"She has a bit of burning from the acid attack earlier. It's on her left thigh, left arm and left hip," Cetus said as he approached the blondes as well. "It's not poisoning her, but it'll sting when she wakes up. A burn cream should fix that."

"Here," Virgo offered a small jar out to the slayer. "Please stay by Princess' side until she wakes. She's liable to panic if you're not near."

His brows furrowed. "What? She should be fine…"

Not that he was even thinking about dropping her off with anyone else, anyway.

He wouldn't dare.

Laxus would take this little gift and run with it.

"She panicked after you coughed up blood," Cetus clarified. "If she doesn't see that you're fine after waking up… Just… Just take care of her."

Then Laxus got it. She'd be more worried about _him_ than about _herself_. He nodded at the two spirits. "You don't have to tell me twice."

* * *

" _I just don't know what to do, man."_

" _Brother, I've been trying to get Savvy Baby to be my girl for a minute now without luck. I don't know what to tell ya here."_

" _She just… Bicks… She's my mate and she already loves me. I just…"_

" _Don't know what to do with that information?"_

" _I don't. Should I… Should I do something..? But what if I've been reading it wrong?"_

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, listening in on the conversation being had in the other room. Maybe it was wrong to do this, but in her defense, they had loud voices and it didn't seem like they even cared that she might hear. They just weren't trying to be quiet.

" _Nah, bruh, I don't think you're reading wrong."_

" _But why would she love me so quickly..? I've done nothing for her before this… I did nothing but hurt her and avoid her at all costs… Bicks, it just doesn't make sense."_

Okay, now she needed to cut in. Somehow. If he was questioning himself like this, it wouldn't end well. Thinking quickly, Lucy rolled over as though she were still asleep and made a point to _thump_ out of bed. However, in doing this, she forgot to move her head a little and ended up clocking her forehead against the side table. This made her groan in pain.

Sure, she was mentally awake… But that didn't mean she was ready for much of anything past getting up and moving enough to go get coffee. A hit to _anywhere_ this early wasn't ever acceptable. However, the two _did_ stop talking after her rather loud 'announcement' of sorts.

" _...I'm going to go see if the hag can replicate this salve. Have her put a bit on her wounds while I'm out."_

" _Dude, her spirits said for you to take care of her, not-"_

 _Slam!_

" _...me. Well fuck you too, dickwaffle."_

Any other time, the lass would have laughed at Bickslow's struggle, but this was grumpy morning time. Lucy wasn't the best morning person as is, and clocking her head like she did only amplified her grumpy morning disposition. She dragged her feet along the carpet, her eyes squinted as she trekked _straight_ for the coffee maker. The fact that Bickslow's eyes never left her body was blatantly obvious, despite her not looking back at him.

"...How much did you hear?"

Lucy didn't amuse him with an answer until coffee filled the mug she pulled down and she had at least to gulps in her. "...I heard enough."

The seith eyed her up and down. "...And?"

"I love him and I totally accept being his mate," she deadpanned as she took another swig of coffee. While it was a deadpan, it was obviously her truth.

He nodded. "Are you going to do something?"

She shrugged. "Kinda thinking about it. After yesterday," her eyes darkened as she remembered the idea of two things working together to kill Laxus from the inside out, "I don't want to chance anything else getting in the way."

Bickslow smirked at this. "Atta girl."

She flipped him off.

He only shrugged. "Just do me a favor?"

"Hm?"

"Let Laxus come to you." Without his visor on, Lucy could see the way his eyes hardened and how he seemed more serious than she'd seen him in a long time. "He doesn't think he's good enough and even though he knows you like him, he's struggling to _accept_ that. I don't want him to retreat and fight his instincts _again_ because he wasn't in control of the situation."

Lucy sighed. "I don't know _why_ he doesn't think he's good enough."

"Fantasia," Bickslow answered. "And before you say you've long forgiven us, it's still a heavy guilt to know you hurt your friends and family. It must be even more intense knowing you're his mate and he hurt you then."

She accepted this, but wasn't about to back down without a fight. "I get it, I do. I might not know what that feels like, but I understand the concept… But even still, I don't _understand_ it."

The seith furrowed his brows. "...You literally _just_ said you understand, though."

The lass ran a hand through her hair. "No, I mean like… Laxus showed, _several_ times over, that he loves us all. Tartaros, for instance. His actions proved his change so clearly, then. During the games against Raven Tail. During the Eclipse Gate when he fought beside Wendy to make sure she could handle it. Hell, even during the Trials when he fought Master Hades… He shed blood, sweat, tears and magic security for us all. His actions alone… They've more than made up for a few fights way back."

Bickslow's eyes softened at how adamant and passionate she seemed about him. "...If only _he_ could see that."

She took another swig. "No shit… But I'll wait. I'll wait as long as he needs me to. He waited for me, and if it means he'll be happy with _himself_ , I'd wait a lifetime for him. It'll be torture… But I can wait."

Unbeknownst to the two, the slayer hadn't yet moved away from his door. He moved away from the door stealthily only after Bickslow changed the subject to something about Saveya, his hands clammy and his heart in his throat.

Lucy and Bickslow ended up just sitting and _talking_ for a good two hours before Freed showed up. Then, they only added the rune mage into their conversation which- at the time- was about the pro's and con's of designer items. Evergreen was out with Elfman at the time, meaning there would be no surprise visit from the brunette, much to Lucy's disappointment. Not that the other two weren't company enough, she just grew fond of the woman. Still yet, Laxus had yet to show back up.

Hours passed, still nothing.

It was roughly nine when Freed finally departed. And, just as Bickslow went to leave almost thirty minutes later, Laxus opened the door first. The two shared a _look_ , but said nothing as they passed each other. Upon seeing this, she could only be reminded of the bond she and Natsu once had. It was understandable, in that sense. But even then, it left her alone with the slayer- and she didn't know how to feel about that.

He was silent as he started putting things away from the shopping bags she only _just_ noticed. It was tense. It was awkward. It sucked. Lucy hated that this was where they were. The idea that they'd somehow missed a mark, that they somehow managed to reverse everything they'd worked towards before. It hurt.

It hurt so much.

Not wanting to feel this way, Lucy quickly looked for a way out.

"Um… I'm gonna go home," she said softly. He stopped his movements, but didn't say anything right away. "I have the salve Virgo brought and I should be fine."

"It's already dark out," he reminded, turning around to face her.

She couldn't read his eyes and it stung.

"I'll be fine. I have seventeen spirits going with me," she urged.

His mask cracked. She saw a brief flicker of desperation in his storm eyes. "...But what if you don't have enough of the balm?"

"I can ask Virgo for more."

Another crack. His brows went up _oh so slightly_ \- but it was enough for him to visually look sad. "...You can't reach the ones on the back of your hip."

"I'm very flexible and if I really can't then I can call Virgo."

He sighed and the mask fell completely. His eyes looked pleading at that point. She noticed that in his hands was half and half and thai tea leaves. "...I have a movie we can watch…"

"Laxus…"

Why was he so hard to leave?

Wait...

Why was she trying to leave, again?

"Please," he finally said. "Stay?"

Lucy suddenly had no idea why she wanted to leave. Not when he was looking at her with those sad eyes. So, she gave in.

"Alright."

Like a peacock, as soon as her assent was verbalized, he puffed his chest out and smirked a bit. He seemed like a child, feeling proudly triumphant after proving they have a skill most others don't. She couldn't help but giggle at his demeanor, though she didn't really have to do much else.

"So, we learned how bad I was in here… But I got some stuff for dinner…"

The lass laughed fully and stood from her seat, moving around the kitchen island to join his side. "Alright, alright, I can make dinner. You just have to move."

"What if I don't wanna leave?"

"You'll just get in my way."

"Rude."

"It's true," she snarked.

He stepped closer and smirked down at her. "It's my house though."

She looked up at him and felt her heart rate increase. He so easily had such an effect on her that it was almost scary. Almost. Instead of snarking back at him, she just smiled warmly and reached up to pat his cheek. "Sure is, but right now, it's _my_ kitchen."

A very faint dusting of pink hit his cheeks and he turned away from her. He _sulked_ over to the other side of the kitchen island and took a seat next to where she had been sitting earlier, so he wasn't too far away from her. "I got stuff for the spicy ramen you wanted."

It was _adorable_ the way her cheeks reddened and her face lit up before she eagerly tore apart the remaining two bags to get to the food inside. Still, he watched her as she moved around his kitchen, getting a feel for where everything was and being unafraid to just explore what he had and where he had it at. Her eyes were softer than earlier, where before they seemed pained. The gentle smile on her features made his chest warm.

"..Why did you," Laxus began, startling both of them. He paused and licked his lips before continuing. "Why did you seem… Hurt… A second ago?"

Lucy stuttered in her chopping and he briefly worried that he should have waited until the knife wasn't in her hand. But, there was no scent of blood, no jump and no exclamation of pain. "Why do you ask?" she whispered so low he could barely hear.

"I hate it," he answered. "If… If it was me… I don't…" He stopped to think, trying to find the words. "I never want to be the cause of your pain, Lucy… Tell me what I did so I… So I won't do it again."

The sound of the knife chopping on the cutting board was the only thing filling the dead silence for a moment too long. Every second she took to reply to him only made him more and more worried. What if she hated him? What if she really did leave? No, she said she'd wait on him a lifetime… He didn't do anything bad enough to change that already, did he..? A panic filled his gut and rose to his throat just when she turned around. Their eyes locked and she quickly put the knife down.

She was right in front of him a second later, a hand on either side of his face. Her eyes seemed worried, yet gentle. He didn't understand.

"Calm down, Lax. I'm not going anywhere, I _promise_."

He let out the breath he had held.

"You… You were blocking me out."

He cringed but didn't look away. "I, uh… I didn't know how to start… Conversation… I'm not good at the casual talking thing…"

She giggled and his heart filled up again.

Gods be damned, this one little woman was causing him to feel an absolute rollercoaster of emotions. Was this what it was like to be completely smitten? It had to be. It's the only thing that made sense. "I'm sorry," he rushed out, trying to quickly get over this little bump. "I won't promise that I won't do it again, not yet… But I will promise to do my best to not. I just… Need to break the habit first."

The smile that graced her features left him starstruck. "That's all I can ever ask for. Thank you, Laxus."

He wanted to kiss her.

To hold her.

To openly and freely love her.

The urge had _never_ been this strong. Never. And, because of the rumbling he felt in his guts- that had nothing to do with food and everything to do with his dragon- he made his mind up. They'd at least _talk_ about where they were tonight. When she pulled back, he quickly grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. She blushed. He tried not to smirk. At least it was, most likely, a mutual feeling. He pulled back to let her continue with dinner, and in the meantime, he fiddled with the stereo for some background music.

It wasn't exactly exciting after that. He sat back down and watched her finish up dinner- the whole hour it took. The only words spoken were few and far between, mostly Laxus asking her to grab him some water and she asking Laxus to make sure the noodles wouldn't overcook while she went to the bathroom. But it wasn't an awkward silence, thankfully. He watched her happily, contentedly, with the ghost of a dorkish smile on his features. She caught this look a few times and blushed every time.

Every time.

 _I may not have much faith in myself_ , he thought as she set the table for them, _but I have faith in her._

"Alright, let's eat!"

"You love food a startling amount."

"Don't judge me. Besides, you eat a _lot_ more than I do."

"But I'm a dragon slayer, so it'd be weird if I _didn't_."

"...Fair… But still."

He nudged her shoulder, laughing a bit at her. "Sit. Let's have dinner."

She rolled her eyes but sat down nonetheless. "Pushy pushy."

"I'm not," he insisted. Lucy smirked at him, but didn't argue. This brought a pout to his face, because he _knew_ she won. She knew she won. It was silent for another moment or two while they began eating, but he had to break that silence. He _had_ to.

"So, uh…"

When he paused, Lucy looked at him so he knew she was listening but not rushing him.

"This may be weird to ask but.. Uh… Do.. Do you trust me?"

"With my soul."

Her answer caused Laxus' eyes to widen and the tension in his gut to release. Her eyes were so determined, her words came without hesitation, her demeanor was confident… She didn't just trust him with her mortal life, and he knew that. Her soul, her very essence, everything that made her… _Lucy_ … She trusted him wholly and unabashedly.

Even if he was scared and didn't necessarily trust himself, he trusted her. And if she trusted him then, in a weird turn, he trusted himself.

That was all he needed.

"Alright," he nodded.

"Are you okay?"

"Better than okay," he admitted through another bite of noodles. "Much better than okay."

She smiled and he couldn't help but reciprocate it.

They finished eating and he put on the movie. She expected to sit next to him, but he drew her to his side and let her rest against him. And that's how they fell asleep, halfway through a movie that was supposed to keep their attention.

She awoke before him, laying atop his chest.

They _had_ to stop sleeping on couches.

Lucy tried to move, but his arms wrapped tighter around her. She tried once more, but again, to no avail. This time, though, he grumbled in his sleep and mumbled her name. When she looked up at his peaceful features, she smiled warmly. He was asleep, so what harm could come of indulging herself? None- well, none that she could actively think of with her sleepy brain. So her hands moved to let her fingers thread through his hair. It was much softer than she thought it would be, but that didn't surprise her much.

His eyes lazily opened around five minutes later to see her leaning over him. The smile on her face was so very warm, so very inviting and gentle. The feeling of her fingers playing with his hair made him smile just as lazily as he opened his eyes. Her face was merely two inches- at most- away from his. She was so close, so gentle… So beautiful. Her hair fell like a curtain around them.

Gods knew he was tired of fighting his instinct.

He reached up and caressed her face, suppressing a purr when she leaned into the touch. Without thinking about it, he leaned up and very softly placed his lips on hers. When she tensed (out of shock, mind you), he realized that the move probably wasn't the smartest. But it took less than two seconds for her to melt against him, kissing back just as gently as he kissed her.

She pulled back, cheeks pink and a bright smile on her face.

Again, he couldn't help but smile back.

"I gotta pee," she finally said.

He barked a laugh. "Charming."

"Of course I am."

"Alright, alright. Go to the bathroom. I'll be here waiting."

Her smile brightened impossibly. "..Alright."

True to his word, he awaited her return without even getting up from the couch. Instead, he held a little hope that she'd lay back down with him… But she didn't. Instead, Lucy walked up and put her hands- cold from washing them after using the restroom- right on his neck. He squacked in indignation and surprise, his jerk nearly causing him to fall off the couch.

"Little _sneak_!"

"Yeah, well, we need to get up. I gotta take a mission soon."

"But I don't wanna," he complained, wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her back onto the couch with him. She squealed but managed to wiggle out of his hold.

"Laxus, I need to _eat_ and get ready."

He huffed. "Fine, fine. Make breakfast..? Please..? Or I can go get it and bring it back? We can eat here before you have to go, you know. I just-"

She placed her hand over his mouth and kissed his nose.

He was beginning to ramble in his rather desperate attempt to keep her there even a moment longer.

"I'll make breakfast. Go get up and ready okay?"

He nodded.

Not knowing anything about what was going through his head, this night only left Lucy with more questions about where they were. She got cut off trying to ask before, but now… Now, she had the opportunity to ask. But would it ruin their morning?

 _Let Laxus come to you_.

Dammit Bickslow. Didn't he know that curiosity killed the cat and only satisfaction brought it back?Did he want her to die of curiosity? Okay, maybe that was dramatic, but Laxus was a confusing man. He asked if she trusted him, but didn't say anything more than that. Cuddled her all night and kissed her this morning, but hasn't said much about it. Where, exactly, did that leave her? Leave _them_?

Consumed by her thoughts as she started the rice maker, she didn't notice Laxus had come back until his arms were around her waist. Startled, she grabbed his hand out of instinct and pulled it back. He hollered in pain when his middle finger almost touched his forearm, his hand bent backwards by her.

"Dammit, Laxus! You have _got_ to stop sneaking up on me!"

"I was trying to be cute, little miss vicious!"

"You're not cute, you oaf!"

"Ouch. My pride."

"Devastatingly handsome, maybe. Cute? Not so much."

"Oh," he wrapped his arms around her again knowing now he won't get assaulted, "is that so?"

"...You know what? I don't want to have to grease your head up to get your ego outta the house. I retract my earlier statement," she teased as she leaned into his hold.

"Hmm… Nah. You're not allowed to retract it."

"Wow, rude."

He chuckled softly as he rested his chin on her head. "So what's for breakfast?"

"Rice and eggs. Little soy sauce, of course."

"Omurice or Tamago Kake Gohan?"

"Tamago."

"The only thing I can actually cook," he laughed out.

She giggled but nodded. "It's quick and easy but filling, so I didn't think you'd have a problem with it. Especially since you have mirin, soy and bonito flakes in the cabinet."

"I'll have to ask for a little more protein, though," he said softly. "Slayer and all."

She rolled her eyes. "I've got you covered. The rice will take about thirty minutes, so halfway through I'll grill the last of the chicken I cut last night."

"Oooh, sounds nice."

Lucy wiggled a little, but it was obvious she was just getting more comfortable in his hold. "You like chicken?"

"Chicken's fine, I was talking about being able to hold you for a bit longer."

"O-Oh," she stuttered out with a light blush and a happy smile.

Still yet, that left her even more curious about where they were.

But not for long.

"So, I've kinda been in love with you… For years."

Her heart stuttered to a stop.

"My dragon pulled me to you when I first saw you, but I… I ignored that because I was already balls deep in trying to fight my instincts. When I saw you on the ground after fighting Hades… I… I knew you were my mate. It… It didn't take long after that for me to fall."

"Seven years," she teased, though her voice was so light and airy it was obvious she was breathless and stunned by him saying this.

Hope anew washed over her.

"Yeah, I guess it took seven years and one month. But, uh… I wanted you to get comfortable with me first. I didn't want you to feel like you had to get with me because you're my mate. I wanted you comfortable so you knew you had the _option_ … And uh…"

She heard him gulp.

"I kinda… I… Uh… Would you… _Want_ … To be with me..? Whenever you're ready..?"

Lucy turned in his hold and looked up at his red face, desperate yet loving eyes and his pursed lips. She smiled widely, her eyes watering just a bit. "I've been ready, Laxus. I want nothing more than to be yours."

His eyes widened and an incredulous laugh slowly left him. Happiness flooded his person, filled his heart to the brim, and he lifted Lucy in his arms and spun her around. Their happy laughter filled the otherwise empty house and it only stopped so their lips could meet. Several hushed _I love you_ 's and kisses peppered all over one another's faces were had before he finally set her down on her own two feet again.

Laxus' eyes, this happy and love-filled, made Lucy feel like the only other person in the world. The only other person who mattered. He made her feel like a Princess- or, maybe even a Goddess. He made her feel loved, wanted, and so very important in just one look. Her hands lifted so she could hold his face, her thumb lightly grazing his cheekbone.

"So… Mating…"

He paused. "...Not right now. I… Uh… I'd like to have you as a girlfriend for a bit longer first."

She smiled and he couldn't resist the urge to kiss that smile.

"That works perfectly for me. Whenever _you're_ ready to have me as a mate, know that I'm ready."

He leaned down and nuzzled his nose against her neck. "Gods, I love you."

"I love you, too, Laxus," she whispered happily.

Then, her brown eyes caught sight of the timer.

"I need to finish cooking, Laxus…"

"But baaaaabe…"

"Laxus."

"Ugh. Fine."

"Love you~"

He smiled as he let her go. "And _I_ love _you_."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Author's Note**_ ** _:_** _I'll say the same thing here that I said in my author's note on the new chapter of_ An Underground Romance _. Nobody at me for not posting for so long. Life bitch slapped me so hard I had bruises (metaphorically, mind you) and I needed to just... Deal with that first. Thankfully, Life's calmed the fuck down enough for me to start posting regularly again. I can finally start wrapping things up all over the place._

 _I have no idea when the next chapter will be posted- I'm aiming for "sometime before April 5th", BUT I promise nothing._

 _Anyway, I hope you all are okay with this chapter. :3c I'm excited to see your responses._

 _Take care, and stay lovely!_

* * *

"Master?"

Lucy stood on the other side of the door, awaiting the small man's response. When he grumbled a small _come in_ , she smiled and eased the door open and shut it silently behind her. The little man looked up from his desk to see her standing there with a paper in hands. His heart fell, knowing what he was about to say already. She was excited to be promoted and wanted to get out and explore - but there was a ban on certain mages taking missions.

For two reasons.

"What can I do for you, my dear?"

"Well," Lucy started as she placed the paper down on his desk. "First, you need to read this. This is what Her Majesty just sent me."

Makarov paused. Okay, perhaps it wasn't a mission. But, reading on into the letter, it was just a more personalized letter explaining that Lucy was barred from taking job requests until otherwise stated - for reasons nobody was supposed to know yet. But the words used were ' _I've told you why, and I am so sorry it's come to this_.' His eyes narrowed on that part but he relaxed.

"You know why?"

"I do."

"Have you been forbidden from telling others?"

"Yes sir, I have been."

He thought for a second longer, knowing she was the one person nobody would be able to get information out of. But he thought longer on what she may have been showing him this for. "Lucy, I won't let you take a mission."

She huffed.

It _was_ about a mission.

"But I want to-"

"Hush, child. No, the answer is no."

She pouted, but brightened up soon after. "Okay, I won't take a job until cleared by the princess. I promise." Lucy saw how he obviously relaxed after she said that. "But what about going to visit some friends?"

He blinked and shrugged. "I assume that's fine. We haven't been placed on house arrest, just banned from missions… How far are these friends?"

"Levy and I want to go visit the Sabers now that everything's calmed down. I want to make sure Yuki and Orga are fine."

He smiled at this and nodded. "Alright, you may go. Be home before next Saturday. We're leaving out then."

She tilted her head, but then it dawned on her. "Oh! The Games!"

He nodded in agreement. "We have one team going and you're on it."

Lucy groaned a little but otherwise didn't speak up about it. "Who else?"

"Our Lead is Laxus. Erza, Juvia, Freed and you will be the other four."

"Our reserve member?"

"Gildarts."

Lucy cringed at that, knowing with him as our reserve, they'd be clear for the win. However, Lucy also knew that attending was crucial; thanks to the letter Her Majesty had her burn. The Games _must_ go over without a hitch, otherwise something will be noticed to be off. They're already amping up security because of the recent bombing; especially since one of said bombs targeted that exact arena.

"But," Makarov continued after a moment, "that's not in stone. Gajeel, Wendy and Natsu are going to be standing guard. As are Sting and Cobra. Whether or not they want Laxus to join decides our final team."

"Because of the bomb, they want strong noses to sniff out any other possible bombs."

"Yes," he nodded. "If that's the case, _you_ will be our lead."

She cringed again. "But Erza-"

"Erza already declined and told me to make _you_ lead. Because of your tactics, your ability to think on your feet, and because nobody will think it's you if she's on the team."

The blonde sighed but, again, didn't argue it.

"If Laxus is asked to stand guard, Saveya will be our fifth and Gildarts still will be our reserve," he said.

She tilted her head. "But what about Mira? Or Gray?"

Makarov leaned back in a slouch. "Saveya has a magic that, though weak offensively, can claim her a win quickly and easily with enough strategy. That's why I chose her. She doesn't have a rival, a personal qualm with anyone from other guilds, and she'll battle without judgement on who she's against. Nobody has seen her magic. This gives us an edge- especially on the last day. With your brain and her sleep spells, we can completely overtake the Games without breaking a sweat."

His eyes were trained on the woman still as he continued. "Crime Sorciere has let us know they'll be official soon, but not soon enough for the Games. They're coming by tomorrow and are staying until after the Games. I spoke to Jellal earlier and he let me know they're willing to help you all train."

Lucy nodded, thinking. "I'll need to train with the group, then… On such short notice… I'll only be at Saber for a few hours. If you don't mind, would you have everyone meet up at my apartment around nine?"

He nodded with a smile, but then it shifted to confusion. "What about Levy?"

"I'm not her keeper, for one," she teased and snorted. "But she and Sting have been flinging flirts back and forth since we joined them in Crocus for the cleanup and recovery process."

Makarov groaned. "One of my brightest minds is flirting with a questionable dragon slayer… I don't know how to feel about this…"

Lucy laughed openly.

Then, her heart surged.

She felt the static in the air growing, meaning Laxus was coming closer to the guild. Which reminded her…

"Hey, Master," she started softly. He looked to her curiously, but her gentle and _glowing_ smile (well, metaphorically glowing) threw him off a little. "Would you mind if I start calling you gramps now?"

"I've never minded that, Lucy… Why do you ask?"

"Well, if I'm dating your grandson and waiting on him to be ready to take the step to mate, I figured it's high time I get used to it," she shrugged nonchalantly, but the beaming smile on her face never faltered.

Makarov jumped straight out of his seat and onto his desk in joy, shouting and excitedly agreeing that she should _always_ call him Gramps or Jiji either one. Lucy laughed happily at the man and agreed to do just that before she managed to pry herself out of his office. Upon exiting, she noticed the brick wall in front of her and looked up to see Laxus' face. Mirth danced in those stormy eyes of his and a hidden smile played on his lips. The door shut behind her.

"I wanted to tell him, you know."

"And I wanted to eat breakfast in bed, but we both know that's never gonna happen."

"Ouch," he said, rubbing his chest over his heart, "that hurt."

"Eh, you can't do everything."

"I could ask Mira to teach me and shock you one day, you know."

The two shared a knowing look. He would never. Mira was an actual demon when trying to teach, and they both fully knew that. She finally broke the look and laughed, waving a hand in front of her face nonchalantly. "Besides, apparently I needed to talk to him myself anyway for the Games."

He paused and nodded. "Yeah, I get that. What'd he tell you?"

"Apparently you're the main team lead. Me, Erza, Freed and Juvia will be on it."

"...I sense a _but_ coming up."

She nodded. "But if they want you on security detail, I'm the lead and Saveya will be the fifth."

"Backup?"

"Gildarts."

Laxus whistled lowly. "Gonna be a clean sweep this year, huh?"

"With him on board? Definitely."

The slayer nodded and leaned against the wall. "I assume Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy are out for security detail, too?"

"Yeah," she agreed and leaned against the opposite wall. "After the bombing, they're trying to take the best precautions without cancelling the Games altogether- which is smart."

Laxus slowly looked her up and down. "That's not all."

Lucy only smiled. "Nah, I wanted to go on a mission, but Hisui has me on lockdown. I'm going to Sabertooth with Levy to hang out, though. I'll be back sometime later tonight, probably the last train."

He exhaled heavily. When she said she was going to Sabertooth, he- for a moment- worried he was going to have to be away from her for another long period. Now that she was officially his, he didn't know if he could handle that yet. They hadn't done anything as an official couple, yet… And there were plenty of things he wanted to get in before they were in an area crawling with press like Jason. He smiled at her, though.

"Tell the lug to get his ass over and visit sometime."

"Aww, you _do_ love Orga!"

"I do _not_ love that asshole."

"He's the farthest thing from an asshole."

"What, am I the asshole for not loving him or something? I thought you'd be happy I don't."

Lucy's eyes sparkled with teasing mirth. He cursed, knowing he put himself into a verbal corner she was seconds away from exploiting. "Well, between the two of you, you _are_ the one on the wrong side of the Asshole Meter, so…."

"Fucking _ouch_ ," he pouted, looking at her incredulously.

She laughed and tiptoed to kiss him gently. "It's fine, babe. I love a challenge."

He growled approvingly, his hands grasping onto her hips easily. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," she answered his question with a challenge and a raised eyebrow.

The slayer's dragon was rumbling, growling out a satisfied purr, and Laxus was ready to quickly get deviant. He took a breath as he pulled her closer to him, their bodies uncompromisingly close. His mouth fell mere centimeters away from her pulse point, his hands sliding around to grab two hands full of her ass. A breathy, airy moan slipped between her bubblegum lips, right in his ear. He walked her back until they were away from the door to his grandfather's office and her back was pinned to the wall.

Her hands slid up his chest to around his neck. His hands forced her to lift her left leg and hook it around his waist. His tongue snuck out and traced it up the column of her throat. Another soft, airy moan filled his ear and he could _smell_ her arousal. The vanilla in her scent smelled warmer, like a candle. A barely noticeable cinnamon was underneath that, and there was something so… Heated… Almost spicy about the way the two scents mingled. With so much of him focused on her, he didn't notice the footsteps coming up the stairs until it was too late.

"Hey, Laxus, have you-"

Laxus growled viciously at the intruding voice and looked back to level a stone cold glare at the tallest member of the Raijinshuu as he intruded on their moment. Bickslow wasn't affected at all, and instead, looked between the blondes with wide and astonished eyes. He didn't expect this so soon! When did Laxus get his head out of his ass?! What the hell?!

"Bickslow, keep your voice down-"

"WHEN THE HELL DID YOU AND LUCY GET TOGETHER?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?!"

 _Crash!_

Silence.

Lucy groaned at the sudden surge of tainted magic that swelled.

Welp. There's the ice water dumping over her.

"Oh Laxus~ We need _to talk_ ~" Mirajane cooed from downstairs.

"Good luck facing the demon," Lucy whispered and placed a final kiss to his lips and patted his chest twice. "You'll need it."

* * *

Lucy sat on the train looking out the window in a bored manner, watching the evening scenery fly by at outrageous speeds. Her mind was racing but her face didn't show this. Instead, her mind played through the pros and cons of the Games happening so soon after the S-Class trials… Especially since, to keep Fairy Tail from disappearing for another seven years, it was broadcasted to all allied guilds. They had notes from the fights the new S-Class mages were in, and that was a severe disadvantage.

However, she could keep everyone on their toes with strategy enough. Unfortunately, she couldn't consult with Rufus as she did before, but she _could_ strategize with Freed. The newer S-Class mages were shown to keep a steady head and only go as far as needed in battle. If she could get that assumption out of every other guild's head while also not sacrificing time and power, that would be the best way to start. Come out like a canon to throw everyone off… Only that wasn't good strategy at all.

She groaned. Being stuck within the realm of what she knew- which was what the rest of the guilds knew- was the worst. She couldn't begin proper strategy until she was able to train with the others. To see any other techniques they've been hiding and get a better idea on their-

"Heyyy, if it isn't the blonde one."

Lucy startled and looked up at the sudden voice. Her startlement only got worse for a second, noticing the mechanical arm and long red hair only belonging to her best friend's father.

"Gildarts? I thought you hated trains?"

"Yeah, I do. But the old man needed me back for those damned games." He then plopped down into the seat across from hers. "Anything happen while I was gone?"

"Not a lot. If Laxus is even still alive, the main thing was that Bickslow outed our relationship to the whole guild. Before we got a chance to talk to Mira about it."

He laughed heartily at that. "Glad to see the kid's grown a pair! I'd say congratulations, but it's that asshole, so good luck."

Lucy snorted. "That's oddly familiar."

He shook his head and leaned back. "I heard you're on the team. What's in that brain of yours?"

There was a second before she responded. Her mind played back to the last time she had awkward company on a train and, thus, to what Wendy had offhandedly said. Her eyes narrowed a bit and she leaned forward. "What's on my mind right now is wanting an answer."

He watched her a bit warily. "Shoot, Lucy."

"How did you start learning round-generation?"

Gildarts blinked at that but light dawned in his eyes. "You want a secret weapon now that our secrets have been outed."

She nodded.

He smirked. "Smart woman. Take your strongest spell and use it to empty your magic containers. Both of them. Almost completely. Once you've gotten used to the feeling of magic regenerating, it'll be easier."

"I survived two weeks of Sabertooth training that had me near empty constantly. Next step."

Another open, hearty laugh left him at her spirit. Silence soon followed, though, as he gathered his thoughts. "Urano Metria is a caster spell that drains you, right?"

She nodded.

"Think of when you cast it. Not the power you build into it, but when you _cast_ it. When you use your magic, it surfaces to the skin. The way it was explained to me was to imagine your magic containers as bees, swarming inside, constantly brushing your skin and begging to get out. Let it get out. Let it out. And it will come back, more and more." He shrugged after that. "It took me three years to figure it out because I'm not an imagining kind of guy… But you might get it faster than I did."

"Imagine the magic as… bees?"

He nodded.

That left her more confused than before, but she accepted the answer. Through her bond with her elderly spirit, she asked Crux to look into it for a different explanation. She then asked Capricorn to join her for some meditation later to see how it goes. The spirit agreed readily, and the rest of the train ride went off well. Gildarts walked her to her apartment, talking to her the whole time about his magic and his views on how it worked, much to her happiness. At least if Gildarts was forced in, she could make easier adjustments concerning him and his magic. She let him know to come back to her apartment at nine for their team meeting before he left for the guild

She got inside, slipped out of her shoes, and sat on her bed. Crux showed up and explained it to her in both a scientifically accurate way, and in a more imaginative way than Gildarts had. It was a little more complicated than he said. She made a few calls before trying the technique out for herself.

When she tried that herself, she failed miserably. However, Capricorn agreed to join her.

He wasn't exactly merciful.

"Imagine your magic in your blood, coursing just beneath the skin," Capricorn instructed as he walked around her sitting form. He was just repeating the words Crux uttered earlier, but it was only a reminder as she slipped deeper into her meditative state. "Imagine the rage building, bringing the blood and magic to the surface. Then, exhale. Calm. Relax. Do it again."

Lucy was so focused on the nebulous concept and so deep in her trance that she didn't notice when Laxus came into her apartment thanks to Capricorn letting him in. The slayer knew not to speak suddenly, but the spirit still gave him a _hush_ motion.

"The magic," the spirit said as he began to circle her again, "is your love. Let it warm your heart and fill you fully. Let it come through to show. Then, exhale. Calm. Relax."

Lucy's brow furrowed a bit. Emotions to allow to the surface only to reign it in. It was so starkly different than what she'd been told to do recently; to go wild. However, she knew so well how to reign in the emotions that wanted to break free. Life as a debutante taught her that well. Instead of allowing an emotion to rise, she let her magic rise. She felt it seep through her skin, clinging to her strangely before dissipating in the air. This was where she'd gotten to several times before, only to be interrupted by Capricorn because she was going too far and not allowing recovery.

She tried again, to reign it in.

And failed.

She could still feel the magic seeping out, but he wasn't stopping her.

Laxus watched her, wide-eyed at the gold haze emanating off of her person. It stayed close to her skin, stayed within an inch of her skin. She was fully meditative, completely lost to her surroundings… But he could feel the worry in the magic in the air. He wouldn't say anything, though. He wouldn't break her concentration- her training- because he interrupted. Instead, he looked to Capricorn, who nodded.

"Breathe it in. Let it back in. Calm it, draw it back," the spirit instructed. Truly, the haze slowly started to creep back into her skin. Once it was almost completely gone, Capricorn spoke again. "Again. Let it swell. Bring it back to the surface."

Lucy focused then on how he said _Again_. That meant she'd accomplished it! Carefully, still hyper focused on the sensation, she brought her magic back to the surface. When it started seeping out again, she took less time to begin drawing it back into herself. Yet the spirit, again, didn't stop it. When he said that word once more, Lucy grew even more confident. She did the exercise twenty times in total. She had begun to let out less and less magic, taking less and less time as the exercise went on. Eventually, within the last four times, she was able to sustain the complete process happening simultaneously for roughly five to seven seconds at a time.

It was exhaustive.

When her eyes opened, she immediately saw her boyfriend standing there with pride in his eyes and a smirk on his face. "Someone's got a new idea."

"It seems so," Erza said, not far behind the blond man she had first seen. Next to the redhead stood both Juvia and Freed. Turning to Capricorn, she saw Gildarts and Saveya near the spirit.

"It's past nine, isn't it."

"About five minutes, not too long," Freed agreed.

"I don't think any of us mind, especially when you started gettin' the hang of it there at the end," Gildarts praised.

Lucy sighed and stood up on very wobbly legs, as they'd fallen asleep long ago. "Capricorn, you can go if you want to."

"I shall see the guests to a drink first," he bowed before taking off for the kitchen. She sighed, knowing the goat was too stubborn to let her revolt against the idea. Instead, she motioned to the table she had played cards at with the girls back before the trials. Once everyone was seated, Lucy put her hands out flat on the table.

"So the Games are coming up. It's fun and games, sure, but I don't want to dishonor nor disrespect the other teams by not doing our best… So we're gonna sweep this thing." She smirked, bringing a laugh from Laxus and Gildarts, and smaller and quieter chuckles from everyone else. "I assume you all know that you're on the team, right?"

"But aren't there too many here?" Juvia asked curiously.

Lucy nodded. "So here's the thing. Because of the bombing, the Dragon Slayers are going to be on patrol to sniff out any gunpowder. They haven't yet requested Laxus join security, but _if they do_ , the team changes just a little." Everyone understood, then, and nodded. "So if Laxus is participating, he will be the team leader. Gildarts is our reserve member, and Freed, Erza, Juvia and I are on main roster. If he _isn't_ participating, I'm team leader. Gildarts is still our reserve member, and Saveya, you'll be on main roster."

Everyone nodded and readily accepted this.

"So, I want to go over a few things. The meditating I was doing, that technique, is what helped Gildarts turn into a fucking monster. It's called Round Generation, and it's a useful tool to us. I want all of us to meet up once a night until the Games and we'll work on it. Gildarts, you can come if you want to, but you've kinda mastered it so.."

He laughed and waved her off. "I'll catch up with Cana in the meantime."

Lucy nodded at this. She searched everyone's eyes before continuing. "Tomorrow, we'll all be in the guild. Seek me out at any point and give me a full and comprehensive list of what you think your strengths are, your weaknesses, and your spells and abilities. To formulate a proper plan, I need to know how we can cover each other on the final day." Again, everyone seemed to agree and seemed to be well within their own thoughts about what this year would be like. "I also need to know what forbidden spells you have. I need to know what situations to keep you from, if possible, so we're not disqualified."

Again, everyone agreed readily.

Lucy locked eyes with the rune mage. "Freed, you and I are on strategy. I've been working with Rufus when training with them, so I'm sure we can think of counters to how he helped me to think on strategy."

"I always love a good challenge," he said with a bit of a smirk.

She laughed. "If I am leader, everyone will think Erza is the team leader. Let them. Don't correct them. In fact, I want you to ask Erza your questions if you're in front of anyone. Solidify this, so we have a secret ace."

"Brilliant," Erza agreed with a nod. "And if you're not, Laxus is still the obvious leader."

She nodded. "Even if we had that stinger, the only two posing real threat to him is Jura and Orga- both well out of my range. It would be safer to have him as our lead."

Laxus nodded. "Sounds solid."

"Saveya, you actually have a very special role to play," Lucy started, a smile on her face. "You're our stinger. Our S-Class trials were broadcasted, so other mages have an idea of our skills already. You pose as the blank slate, the one who uses her illusions and sleep magic to win her way through. Then I want you to break out that Nightmare Forme of yours on the last day."

She smiled warmly and nodded. "I will. Perhaps this meditation technique will help me last even longer in that form…"

"It will," Gildarts agreed with a nod. "Your containers will grow until they can't because of your body or magic type, and then it will get sharper, denser. We're setting up training schedules?" he asked, looking at Lucy.

She nodded. "Yes. We're doing it by the most even approach to skill level that we can manage. Juvia and Freed, Erza and I, Laxus and Gildarts, and Savvy I'm calling Bickslow in for you. Every day, we spar with this opponent last."

"Last..?" Juvia asked hesitantly.

Lucy nodded. "This is going to be our new schedule for the next week and a half. It's the same one I went through when I was at Sabertooth training. Three spars a day over three aspects; close range attack and defense, mid-to-long range attack and defense, and a spar with someone who is either close to your skill level or knows how you operate super well. Three spars a day. Meditate before you come to the guild, every morning, for at least an hour." Erza and Freed seemed ready to agree with this, though everyone else was hesitant.

So, the blonde continued. "The point is to get you used to draining your containers. If you keep draining them, any meditation is easier to achieve and will help you grow your container sizes. The point is to establish new techniques in style, possible one new spell each, and get us more flexible in battle before the Games. Our fighting styles have been seen by every mage we'll face. They'll use this to their advantage. We need to force ourselves outside of the box."

"Have you thought of mages for the spars?" Erza asked.

Lucy nodded. "I have. We have three distance specializing mages and three melee specializing mages. The only melee specialist we have that's _not_ well versed in distance is Saveya."

Laxus raised a brow at this.

Lucy shrugged. "I went on a mission and saw her in battle. I know that magic style is melee."

"Fair," he caved.

"Saveya, you're sparring with Mirajane and Elfman. Elfman will challenge you in melee because he's got a lot of good defenses to him. He made Bacchus essentially destroy _himself_ in their match. Mirajane has a lot of spells in her arsenal as well, and I've spoken to her about making sure she stayed distance based in your spars. They're both takeover mages, as you know, so they can also help you with your two forms."

She bowed as much as she could in her seat. "I'm thankful."

Lucy smiled and turned to Freed. "Your two were easy for me. Levy will be your sparring partner in distance. She'll challenge everything you know with distance and wordplay both. I've seen you both fight and you're polar opposites style wise. You'll pick something valuable up from her. Your melee fight is going to be against Richard from Crime Sorciere. He's usually a distance fighter, but from what I remember, he's mostly defensive. You'll need to find a way into those defenses."

The green haired man nodded. "I'll prepare myself."

She then looked between Erza and Laxus. "Now… Laxus, your melee fight is Erza. And Erza, yours is Laxus. You both have incredible melee skills but vastly different approaches to your tactics. We'll do that. Erza, your distance opponent is going to be Sawyer. He can help your speed and your precision. Laxus, yours will be Sorano. She used to be a celestial mage, but now she uses _angel coins_ and feather magic. You just need to learn stronger strategy. I challenge you to fight her evenly, but try not to simply overpower her. The same goes to you, Erza."

The two nodded their acceptance, looked to one another, then nodded again.

She then looked to Juvia and smirked. "Yours is fun. Your melee fighter is going to be Natsu," she said excitedly. The water woman flinched a little, but didn't argue it. "Your challenge is to find a way to greet his level. By that I mean when we fought, the rain didn't touch his skin. The water evaporated inches from his skin, because his power had heavily amplified his body heat. I want you to challenge him and remind him that water is supposed to put out a fire, that water doesn't always just boil to a mist."

The water woman seemed shocked at this, but nodded in a very determined manner. "Juvia will do her best."

"And your distance partner is Wendy."

"Why does Juvia fight against two dragon slayers?" she asked, exasperated.

Lucy giggled. "Because I know, first hand, how devastating water can be. Aquarius and Cetus are proof. I want to see you flourish and get stronger, Juv. I want to have a _proper_ water fight someday."

The woman blushed and nodded shyly, accepting the hidden compliment.

"And you, Lucy?" Gildarts asked.

She took a deep breath. "I'm fighting Gajeel for melee. I have horrible defenses, and I know that. His incredibly offensive, so I'll need to either think fast or find a proper defense. And… Jellal is going to be my match for distance."

Erza's eyes went wide. "Lucy, he was a Wizard Saint!"

"Is," Laxus corrected. "He's supposed to be the surprise reinstatement to Sainthood in November. Three more mages are being looked at for this title- the most there's ever been at once. If things go right, four will be initiated in November."

The redhead's eyes got wider and she seemed torn for a second. "While I'm happy for him, I'm also concerned about you Lucy."

She nodded. "I have three reasons for my decision. One being that Laxus is being looked at for sainthood- my boyfriend- and Orga is too."

"So you've essentially fought a possible saint for two weeks," Gildarts said slowly.

She nodded again. "Because of that, I feel like I can at least stand on my feet in the spar."

"How many are being looked at in total?" Freed asked Laxus.

"Just the three, and Jellal. The letter said they hoped to initiate four members, but should any of the looked at mages fail to meet judgement, they will simply not initiate that person." His answer was definitive. "If they're looking at Orga, he's got the power. Whether or not he meets requirements is another story. I don't know who the third person is."

Lucy then turned her attention back to Erza. "The second reason is because of how his style is compared to mine. I could use feedback and training from him. And lastly is because his magic is so closely tied to the celestial spirit realm. He could help me possibly learn a few caster spells."

The redhead reluctantly agreed to this, trusting her sister's judgement.

"So we'll be receiving feedback?" Saveya asked curiously.

Lucy nodded. "Each mage will have someone else assigned to them throughout the day to give thorough feedback on every match. Gildarts will be judging Erza, Gray will be judging Saveya, Wendy will be judging Juvia, Master Makarov will be judging Freed, Cobra- the poison dragon slayer- will be judging Laxus, and Macbeth and Meredy will both judge me. Macbeth has narcolepsy, so as much as I want to say only him, I need to have a backup in case that kicks in sometime random."

Juvia cleared her throat before asking, "how do we make this… Feesable?"

"What I did was I meditated for an hour before breakfast. Jog for thirty minutes after eating, rest for thirty minutes, then have your first spar of the day- your melee fight. Break for lunch, eat and rest until two, and have your second spar- your distance fight. Then, break longer for dinner, and around seven, have your final spar of the night. Go back to bathe and clean up, come back and meditate for an hour or two, depending on how much time is left in the night, and then sleep. Wash, rinse, repeat."

"Every day until the Games?" Freed clarified.

Lucy nodded. "Starting tomorrow. Crime Sorciere will be coming in then, so we can start literally as soon as possible. I've put a judge to you based, once more, on fighting style. What you don't learn physically from your opponent, you can hear about and listen to what your judge has to say and learn something from that too. I called everyone, save Crime- involved before meditating tonight, so everyone will be on the same page in the morning. And keep in mind, I can and will change our your sparring partners _and_ judges whenever I see fit."

Gildarts sighed. "I'm not even constantly training, and _I_ feel like you're a drill sergeant."

She chuckled and shook her head. "If you want it, you chase it. Don't follow it, cause it might get away from you, but chase it at full speed. I want to win, to better all of our abilities, so I'm chasing it."

Laxus sighed, echoing the oldest mage's previous one. "This is going to be one helluva week…"

* * *

The whole damned week and a half was just as gruelling as Lucy remembered it being in Sabertooth. However, it certainly paid off- for _everyone_. Within the first five days, _everyone_ had one new spell. Even Gildarts- which was the shocking part. Hawk-eyed, they learned from one another and trained very diligently. Lucy kept constant tabs with the others, and changed things up as she felt needed. By that fifth day, Lucy was rotating members and fights around to keep them on their toes.

Three days before they were set to head out- that Saturday- Laxus got the word that he wasn't going to be participating. It was the one thing they'd prepared for. And, that day- Wednesday at dinner time- she'd met with Freed and Laxus both to start talking about strategies to attack the games with.

Friday morning, as the team met for their morning spars, they were met with a wide smile from Lucy, informing them that they'll be focusing on meditation for both Friday and Saturday. Sunday night was the event that determined which teams would and wouldn't make it, so Sunday they had the day off from all forms of training. It was best to have some rest time then, and go in with a new mood come time for the Games. Still yet, it was an agreement that they'd still- even at the Games- meditate together for two hours before bed. It'd become ritual at that point, and the last day was going to be the hardest part.

It was Sunday around lunch when something larger happened.

Five of the six registered mages- as they were sans one Gildarts- were gathered for lunch in the lobby of their Inn. They were relaxing at one of the dining tables, eating what was served to the mages for the meal, when a few familiar faces stepped into the lobby.

Lucy tilted her head. "Cosmos? Kamika? What are you two doing here?"

Erza tensed when she recognized the names Mirajane had spoken about years ago.

The pink haired spore mage crooked her finger, looking dead at Lucy. "Queen Hisui wants a private council with you, Lucy."

A chill went down her spine and she nodded, immediately standing. "You all stay here. I'll be fine. I'll catch back up with you in a few hours, probably."

Erza looked to her with an extremely worried look, then turned to Freed. He understood the look and immediately started messaging both Laxus and Master on his comm.

Lucy followed the two members of the Garou Knights in near silence as they lead her through the streets of Crocus, through the palace, and straight to the Queen's private quarters. Uosuke and Kama were both standing guard outside, and greeted her with nods. Lucy stepped inside and the doors immediately shut behind her. Her jade haired friend was looking out the window at the city below, not facing her yet.

The air was stiff. Uncomfortable.

Tense.

"Lucy… I'm afraid it's truly happening." she quietly spake.

The hairs on Lucy's arms stood up. Not now. _Not now_. She had her team at the Games to look after, she had a boyfriend, and this added on top… "How soon?"

"We're looking at Sunday."

"The day after the Games."

The queen nodded and finally turned around to face Lucy. "We're going to tell them on Sunday. I want to be out and mobile Monday morning."

"Where to?" the blonde pressed, defensive. Her brown eyes were hard as steel, trying to trap all the horrific memories inside. The queen had reached out to her for _counsel_ , not for her to take the mantle. She even stated it wasn't in stone if the blonde would be involved! But now.. Now it was even _more_ real.

"The East. It's the closest to Crocus. I have reports that the heaviest of the waves will come from the East."

Lucy looked down at the floor, her hands shaking violently. "I don't… I don't know if I can do this, Hisui…"

Except she _had_ to. A Celestial Mage relied on promises of contracts for trust. She gave the queen a promise to help in any way she could. If she broke too many promises, she could lose her keys- according to the Celestial Spirit Realm's laws Stache Face rewrote when Lucy saved Loke. She felt his key warm up on her side, as though reminding her that he was there for her… But it didn't help. Anger flooded her veins, hot and raw, and threatened tears.

Her eyes softened, but Lucy couldn't see it. "Lucy-"

"This is _war_ we're talking about, Hisui! How many do we have to fucking fight?!" the blonde erupted, tears in her eyes as she levelled her glare at the queen. She didn't _want_ this. She didn't want to be a part of this again. "Tartaros and Alvarez were bad enough, so close to each other, and now we have to fight in _another_ one?"

Hisui sighed heavily, looking to the floor in her own shame. "They bombed us, Lucy. That was a message to _me_. I'm a woman in a male governed world, taking up the mantle as leader of a country. They're going to make a showing of war. My decision on the Gate still lingers. If we barely scrape through it, it leaves us vulnerable to others who may challenge Fiore to conquer it. Pergrande is taking the first step. We need to show them we will not fall, we'll rise above with a high chin. They're a very large country with military numbers that shadow the whole kingdom. Making a show of Pergrande is important to not fall prey to anyone else who may kick us when we're down."

The blonde felt her tears, hot and angry, start falling down her face. As much as she hated it, Hisui was right. "I hate this."

"I hate it too, Lucy," she whispered. There was so much raw emotion in the queen's voice that Lucy didn't even doubt it to be true. "But I need to know… That list. Is that everyone you need?"

The blonde angrily nodded. "Yes. I've thought it over from everything you told me. It may be a small list, but I have my reasons."

The Queen nodded and approached the blonde. "I know I'm asking too much from you… I know I am… But I can't risk anything. I trust you with everything, Lucy. It's why I asked for you to be my chess brain."

"It's not a game of chess," she spat out. "There are no _pawns_ you can kill off. These are real people. These are real lives…" Lucy took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm herself down before she exploded. "I'm not cut out for this…"

"Please try. For our safety."

"Why aren't you using your own generals for this?" she asked pointedly.

The Queen looked at her for a long moment before sighing in defeat. "Two are from Pergrande by either immigration or lineage. We're keeping spies on them to make sure we're not susceptible to treason within our own walls. I needed an outside person who I knew could do it."

Lucy shuddered and shook her head, trying to stop the tears. "Why me?"

"You're one of the strongest, smartest and quick witted mages I know. If I chose anyone else… It would be treasonist to what my gut tells me to do."

The blonde squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head, her teeth bared and tightly clenched. Her hands were tight, white-knuckled, as they shook at her sides. Everything inside of her was screaming for her to _run_. Let _someone else_ have this weight. She had to sacrifice a key once and that _still_ weighed on her heart… Doing that with an actual life..? Lucy _knew_ she wouldn't be able to handle it. That level of guilt… She didn't understand how people could move on from shit like that. There was no blood on her hands- yet- and she _still_ didn't know how she could live with it.

Laxus' face flashed in her mind.

 _She couldn't live with it._

Hisui placed her hand, gently, on Lucy's shoulder. "There's nobody I would trust more than you for this. I know I'm asking too much… I would offer you anything you wanted, but I know you better… Just… Please."

Lucy's shoulders slumped, her fists unballing. Defeated, she looked to the jade haired woman with pleading eyes. "Can… Can I at least tell _one_ person?"

"I would rather you not…"

"Laxus Dreyar. He's my mate- or, well, I'm _his_ mate. If he senses me lying to him or blocking him out…" she trailed off, thinking about what she knew of the whole process. That… Wasn't a lot. But it was enough to work with. "He'll dig around more through our bond and find out on his own. He'll know anyway, and I won't be able to stop it."

In truth, she wanted to wait until after the Games to bring up the issue of mating… But now… There was a war on the horizon- too close. Too soon… She wanted to tell Laxus so badly, let all of the weight finally leave her shoulders, fall into his arms… She wanted, _so badly_ , to just open it all up. To be his mate… If he went down in the war, she didn't think she'd have enough of her heart to go on. She wouldn't be able to at all.

Hisui looked her over for a moment, taking her hand off the blonde's shoulder. "But you are not mated yet."

"I may be before these Games are over." It may disrupt a thing or two… But she was at least going to ask about it. "If a war is coming that soon… It would be best to mate before hand. The mated couple will get significant power boosts, and have minor access to their partner's magic ability."

She seemed to hesitate. "...Him being your mate will not avert your decision to have him on the lines?"

Lucy paused. "It will not avert the decision. It will be hard and I'll hate every second of it, but I won't change that unless the Pergrande Army's strategies call for something outside of Laxus' abilities. I trust him with my life- my soul. I _know_ he'll win any fight he puts his mind to."

The Queen finally caved, exhaling a sigh and nodding her head. "Laxus Dreyar is the only other person to know this."

"Hisui," Lucy called softly. "I haven't even told my _spirits_. I promise, I'll make sure he won't tell a soul either."

At that, the lass appeared shocked- her green eyes wide. Then, she relaxed and retrained her features. "I trust you, Lucy. I have no doubt in you, at all. Just… Please… Don't abandon me on this."

Lucy placed a hand over her heart and bowed slightly. "I promise you now, Queen Hisui of Fiore. On my honor as a Celestial Spirit Mage…" There was a slight, small pause. Did she really _want_ to make this vow? No. But she knew, without a doubt, she couldn't turn Hisui away. Not only could the Queen bend her arms backwards, but she also was too strong to ask for anything. So, she finished the words. "In this time of need against Pergrande, I will not abandon your side unless Death itself claims me."

Hisui took a deep breath and nodded her acceptance at the vow. Then, she reached over to a box on her vanity, and pulled a thin silver bracelet from it. It had ten lacrima studs on it, and Lucy only had time to count them as the royal woman clasped it around her left wrist. "Take this. It is a hidden Communications Lacrima broken apart. It is the only one that has my personal Lacricomm set in it."

The two finished their talk there, neither needing the flourish of small talk or excessive linguistics to finish off the meeting. When she exited the room, Cosmos and Kamika were both waiting for her, and swiftly escorted her back to her team- who then bombarded her both with questions about her puffy eyes and what the meeting was about.

* * *

It was nearing nine when it _finally_ activated. The team of five were sitting in Saveya and Bickslow's shared room when the bridge made of light met with the balcony. The magic bridge then began a slow hum as it exuded the magical power needed to keep it sustained. Lucy was quick to jump into action, realizing that the bridge would only uphold itself for so long. She sprang into action immediately, slipping into Cancer's stardress with relative ease. "Move out! It'll collapse soon!"

Her team immediately followed suit. Juvia stretched her magic enough to cause a light downpour to cover Crocus completely as the five ran along the light bridge. Ahead, it looked as though there were roughly ten bridges connecting to the same pillar- and six pillars in total. There were surprised screams in the distance, thudding sounds and groans of pain. The blonde lass, running ahead of her team, looked back to notice the bridge crumbling _fast_ behind the other four. Not only that, but she noticed a huge fireball sent their way to speed the crumbling bridge along.

Her eyes hardened.

"Speed up and move out!" she shouted, and their paces raced onward. Lucy slowed just a tad for the four to hear her. "Freed, get ready to get defenses placed at the top. Ten teams will be vying for the spot, and from the sounds, it's fight until one team remains. Erza, guard Saveya. Don't let her be forced to bring out her secret weapon yet. Juvia, give me locations now."

The blue haired lass scrunched her nose and her eyes narrowed. "They're further back on their own bridges," she answered as she felt for magic signatures that her rain touched. "Two other teams are getting close."

The blonde nodded. "Get to the top and attack the bridges- Go!"

Freed employed a speed rune to all members, but Lucy lingered behind, her eyes looking around for whoever sent the fireball that finally connected with their bridge. The crumbling sped up at that point. The flames came from the bridge on her right when she saw them next and she ran forward as she changed into Sagittarius' star dress. With precision unlike any other, she aimed and fired an arrow at the bridge. The arrow, made from her magic, exploded on contact, and caused the bridge to start crumbling from two separate points, stranding the team that dared fire at them.

She changed back to Cancer's star dress and sped up, trying to run from the rapidly shattering edge of the bridge that only seemed to speed up with her. Cornered, she searched for anything that could help, and was about to call Gemini when she saw one of Erza's swords stuck to the top edge of the pillar.

Acting fast, Lucy struck out her whip, extending it with her magic easily, and caught the handle of the sword. Then, the activated her magic to withdraw the whip back into the handle. Like a cannonball, Lucy barrelled towards the rock platform with her whip in her left hand and one of Cancer's blades in her right. Instead of landing on top of it, she went a little too far, and _slammed_ into a mage from another guild. The momentum and force behind the action caused the man to scream as he was punted off the other side.

She turned to see her guildmates all standing there, smirking, with nobody else on the platform.

"And…" Saveya started, waiting for something to happen.

They'd seen it happen only once while Lucy was preoccupied with getting up there.

"There," Juvia said, pointing to the center of the platform.

Confused, Lucy looked at the hole opening up curiously. Then, a large blast came from it, and the Fairy Tail insignia lit up the night sky for everyone to see. The blonde sighed and accepted this as their way of telling the world who made it through. "You saw another one?"

"Sabertooth," Erza supplied. "But between the many magics their main team has, I'm not surprised."

Another two booms went off in the distance. Turning around, they all saw Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel's insignias light up the sky as well. Lucy inhaled sharply. Again, neither outcome really surprised her.

"I'm surprised we came before Lamia Scale," Freed murmured.

Juvia nodded. "Lyon-san and Chelia-san are very capable."

"Don't forget Jura," Erza lamented. "He's a wizard saint for a reason. Among the top few."

"That is what bothers me," Saveya nodded. "If what Laxus said is true, then there are two mages with a Saint's power in these Games. This does not bode well for us…"

Lucy shook her head. "Don't worry about that stuff. Let me worry about that."

"Still, you should keep us informed," Freed chastised.

The blonde lass shrugged. "I'm waiting until Tuesday to start mapping. I'll have a better visual representation of how everyone's magic will perform then. Right now, I'm playing with a few ideas… I just don't want to say until I have more information," she clarified.

The rune mage nodded.

Another boom.

This time, Blue Pegasus.

Erza snorted, but smiled. "Five hundred Jewel says the last one is Quatro Cerberus."

"Oh, yes, Quatro Puppy will be here," Lucy agreed with a laugh.

Sure enough, not even twenty seconds after Lucy said that, their emblem was flashed high into the sky.

And soon, the King- ehr, _Mako_ \- was projected into the sky as well. "Well well well, it seems we have our six finalists! Congratulations to our finalists; Sabertooth! Fairy Tail! Lamia Scale! Mermaid Heel! Blue Pegasus! And finally, Quatro Cerberus! With such a power-packed roster, there's only excitement in store for us this year! Be ready for tomorrow's event- and stay tuned for the battle afterwards! Don't forget to put your ballet in for what matches you want to see tomorrow as you come in to the stadium!"

And he was gone.

Well… They'd made it. But now came the task of finding their way back to the hotel. And more than that, she had to face Laxus. Everything she and Hisui had talked about came rushing back to her. The pillar rumbled before slowly lowering back into the ground, allowing the Mages time to recover as they descended. It gave Lucy enough time to gather her thoughts. Firstly, the two could take no chances with being overheard. Secondly, he had to understand and swear to her that he wouldn't tell another soul.

Both things were going to be hard to manage… But she would persist. The answer to her first question came to her when she looked up to see Freed and Juvia in casual conversation walking in front of her. Yes, she could get the rune mage to work his magic on her room.

"Hey Freed?"

He stopped, looked back and waited for her to get to him. Then, he started walking again in step with her. "Yes, Miss Lucy?"

"Would you mind runing my room up?"

"I wouldn't mind. May I ask why?"

She misstepped at the question, not immediately knowing what to say without giving away too much, and tripped enough for her to worry about possibly falling on her face. Well… She could always take the _easy_ way out… But she wanted to stay as transparent as she could. So she settled on doing both.

"I need to talk to him about something private," she admitted. Then immediately followed it up with "A woman has needs and I'm ready for a rough night."

In truth, she and Laxus hadn't taken a step anywhere near that yet.

She didn't want to rush him, and she was a little afraid that he might snap at the first sign of anything too physical between them. But in the same breath, she only spoke the truth. She'd been ready to take the step towards being _mated_ with Laxus since she realized they were fated to be together. Not having him instigate anything near that magnitude since outside the Master's office was a bit much for her to bear, too.

Freed chuckled at this and nodded to her. "Hopefully that can be settled. I'll double rune the room for you both."

She laughed and happily agreed to this.

"You have been doing well at his side, I hope?"

"Yeah," she said softly, the smile on her face filled with love. "After I got my head out of my ass… It got so much better."

He smiled. "I'm very happy for you both."

"That said," she said pointedly. His steps faltered like hers did before- but he was graceful enough not to trip. "Are you going to tell me who they are any time soon?"

His cheeks stained red. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about, Miss Lucy."

"I just so happened to worm out some _information_ from my Mate a couple of days ago." She let the statement hang there, willing him to speak and just spill the beans. He didn't, though. "Something about you having more dating experience than him. That you've been in a relationship since you guys stayed at Pegasus."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought that it would hurt his pride to speak on that…"

"Not with me. Who is it?"

A sigh left him and his blush only seemed to get worse. "...Hibiki Lates."

Lucy's brows shot into her hairline. With how heavily he flirted with any female who was breathing, she _never_ expected that. Looking at it, it made a little bit of sense, though. And an even worse thought crossed her mind; what _mind fuckery_ games turned into physical fuckery between the two? Seconds after that thought, she cringed. No, no. Don't think of that. Freed was too close like a brother. She didn't need that mind taint in her life.

"It's not public?"

"It isn't."

She nodded. "Just do what makes you happy and I'll support you," she smiled.

He smiled back, his hot face finally cooling. "Thank you, Miss Lucy." He stepped in front of her and held the door to the Inn open for her. "Let's get you set up for the night."

"Maybe you can set _yourself_ up tomorrow night."

He groaned at her almost instant teasing, but didn't otherwise reply. Instead, they only continued to her room, where he immediately got to work. Well, _after_ he greeted Laxus.

"Runes?"

"For silence. We can talk strategy this way," she answered. Seeing him sitting there, on their shared bed, open book in hand... He was leaned against the pillows, shirtless, with the blanket covering his lap. For all Lucy knew, he could be naked under that.

He saw the flash of _pure heat_ warm those eyes for the briefest of moments.

She was going to make his life hell.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm~" she cooed. "I think we could _benefit_ from some silence."

A deep, low growl came up from Laxus' gut, vocalizing how much he and his dragon appreciated her insinuation.

"Laxus, if you would wait until I leave, it would be very appreciated," Freed said.

Lucy laughed at the angry eyes he pinned on his dear friend. She shook her head and stepped to the table. Her left hand reached for her key ring, only to have the metal tap against the bracelet she now wore. That _ting_ was enough to douse her in ice cold realization. She was allowed to tell Laxus. He was sitting right there. That's why she asked for the runes in the first place. The joy at riling him up, the craving she had upon seeing him sitting and waiting for her on their bed- all gone in an instant.

She had to tell him.

The weight of the world reminded her that it was still heavy around her shoulders.

Not giving a damn, she pulled her keys off her hips and started pacing.

Laxus was now concerned. "Babe?"

"I can't say yet," she said, quickly shifting her eyes to Freed.

It didn't take a genius to sense the shift in the room. "I will speed up as much as I can, Miss Lucy, but I will be thorough as well."

"It's fine, Freed. We can wait," she softly replied.

This would take a while, unfortunately. Her team had gotten through the first trial no problem less than an hour ago, and they all needed to rest… But it seemed like Lucy wouldn't be getting as much as everyone else tonight. When Freed finally left, she turned sharply to Laxus and tears _immediately_ started pouring down her porcelain cheeks.

He quickly pulled her into his chest. "Lucy…"

"I can't do this, Laxus!"

His heart stopped. Did she mean _them_? Oh god, no, please no. Don't panic, Laxus. Don't panic. Nothing substantial happened between when she walked in and right then. It had to be something else. It _had_ to be _anything_ else. "What can't you do?"

She sobbed for another four solid minutes before she composed herself enough to talk. By then, she'd curled around him and had her forehead resting against the crook of his neck while he pet her hair with his right hand. "Remember when I got the letter from the Queen I couldn't talk about?" she asked hoarsely.

He nodded, relief flooding his veins when he realized that it wasn't _him_.

"I do."

"She told me I can tell you, after I told her we're mates. But you have _got_ to swear to me, on _my life_ , that you will not tell anyone else." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "Not even Gramps."

There was clear hesitation on his features, but he reluctantly nodded. Swearing on _her_ life? He knew, then, that it was a deeply guarded secret that he doubted anyone else would know. He knew it was serious, because _she_ knew how precious she is to him. "Alright. I swear."

Lucy watched him closely, then the _worst possible string of words_ fell from her pouty lips.

"We're going to war Monday, after the Games are over."

He felt her despair, but more than that, he felt resentment bubble up in his gut. Queen or not, forcing someone to keep something as heavy as that silent had to be _torturous_. Memories flashed in his mind- the Ethernano, Tartaros, Curses, Alvarez, Wall Eehto… He felt his throat constrict as the pain, the bloodshed, the battlefield all washed over him.

"...Do we have to fight?"

She nodded. "Hisui has me acting as a temporary General. I'm strategizing and conducting everything on Monday onward for her." There was more silence, both parties simply sitting with their own pains and their own thoughts. "...These are real lives she has me betting on, Laxus… They could die..."

The slayer nuzzled his nose against the top of her head, inhaling her scent to try and calm down. While it worked for him, his dragon was still whimpering, pleading that they take away her pain immediately… But it sounded like he couldn't. He didn't think he could. He didn't know _how_ he could. Instead, he said the first thing that came to mind. "If anyone in the world could pull it off without too much bloodshed, it's you. I'll be right beside you the whole way."

"No you won't," she whispered sadly. "No matter how much I want that… No strategy of mine will work with us too close to each other."

He sighed heavily. "There's nothing I can do to help you change your mind, huh…"

"Unfortunately, no," she whispered, remembering her statement to the queen earlier.

His hand started rubbing her knee soothingly. "Can you tell her no?"

"I took a vow."

"Shit…"

Lucy nodded, feeling her eyes burn with even more tears. "I can't do this…"

"You can and you will," he reiterated.

"I can't _lose you_ ," she whispered, looking wildly between his two stormy blue eyes. "I couldn't live without you, Sparky."

He felt his breath catch as he got lost in her big, beautiful cocoa eyes.

His dragon purred loudly in response.

"I couldn't live without you, either, Lucy. Even if we aren't mated… I'm too close already."

She pulled his lips to hers and their shared kiss was desperate, mad and clinging. They hated their fate, hated everything about the situation. But, unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about it. Instead, they spent the night just like that- clinging tightly to one another and sharing sporadic, desperate kisses as though they were worried each one could be their last.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Author's Note**_ : _Heyyyy I got this chapter up sooner than expected, aw hell yeah! I will say, there may be a few typos and what have you in this chapter, and I apologize already for not thoroughly going over it like I do the rest of my works. I realized that this week (from April first all the way to April ninth) I'm gonna be busy._

 _And by busy, I mean I'm going to be tits deep in Wrestling Week. WrestleMania is this Sunday and, as usual, from Wednesday all the way through to Mania itself is JAM PACKED with events from all sorts of promotions. Yadda yadda, wrasslin stuff nobody but me really cares about, yadda yadda. On the flip side, though, we're coming up on the mating. I need you all to let me know if you WANT the smut that comes with most mating events in these stories, or if you'd rather me skip it._

 _It'll be in the next chapter and if the overwhelming mass of you all WANT a smut moment, I'll do my damndest to keep it marked and easy to skip for those of you who don't want to read it. I'll put a warning, again- IF you all DO want it, at the opening of the chapter so you're well aware of what you'll be getting yourself into. I won't be posting anything until roughly the tenth- next Wednesday. And even that date isn't exactly guaranteed- it may end up being sometime during the week after that._

 _I just want to be transparent with y'all, lmao. But yeah, let me know if you want smut next chapter or if you don't, and don't forget to stay lovely! c:_

* * *

"So, you need to keep Juvia on lock today," Laxus said.

Looking up from her breakfast plate, Lucy only tilted her head. "Why so?"

"I was told to pass the word onto you that she would be fighting," he answered nonchalantly. Then, he stole a strawberry from her plate. She smacked his arm for stealing her food, but he didn't flinch, and only scarfed it down quickly. "To avoid any problems or complaints, the Guard Dragons were given a guild to tell who would be fighting, so they're kept out of the random event. Rogue is the only Slayer still in the event, since Sting can't participate as a guild master. Fairy Tail's excuse is that we wanted to stretch our legs with mages other than our Slayers. Wendy's telling Lamia, Cobra's telling Mermaid, Natsu is telling Pegasus and Gajeel's telling the Puppies. Hisui was _kind_ enough to let me tell my mate," he smirked and kissed her nose.

"If only _you_ were _kind enough_ to keep your grubby hands off my food."

"My hands are clean… I think."

"Gross."

"You wouldn't have me any other way, don't lie."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. She could tease him openly and he'd know well enough that she was doing just that- teasing. "I wouldn't count your chickens before they hatch."

He placed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Wow, someone is going straight for the jugular this morning."

She shrugged, but couldn't stop the wide smile creeping onto her features. "You love it."

"I do," he readily agreed, his hand coming up to caress her jawline lovingly. "Seeing you all ferocious, even with words, makes me happy."

Red stained her cheeks. "O-Oh?"

He kissed her forehead gently. "Of course. It means you've grown into yourself more. The more _you_ you are, the more I love every second of it."

"You're unusually sappy," she eyed him cautiously even through the blush.

He sighed and nodded, his eyes saying the words he couldn't: After last night's news, what was expected? Her minute nod let him know that she fully understood- despite his words not having been spoken. Her warm cocoa eyes softened when she locked eyes with him and his heart soared. It was things like this that made his love _burn_ in his chest. She could be cute and teasing one second, confident and powerful the next, and in the third she could be the most understanding person on Earthland.

Laxus left a lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth. A pout graced the lass's face when it wasn't her actual mouth, and he only chuckled at her. "I gotta get going. You have an hour and a half to get ready for the day. I smell Juvia's power, still meditating. I hear Freed and Saveya heading this way with Bicks. Erza left earlier and I saw her talking with Jellal in the window of a separate hotel."

Lucy nodded at this and stabbed her fork into the pancakes on the plate. "I'll be happy when we can spend actual time together again."

"No joke." As soon as the three mages mentioned stepped into the lobby, Laxus pulled Lucy away from her food long enough to place a passionate, heated kiss to her awaiting lips. It was more than enough to curl her toes, make her fist her hands in his coat and leave her _aching_ for more. But he pulled back and smirked down at her. "I'll see you tonight.~"

Angry at the idea of being _left there_ like that, Lucy picked up the spoon she had no need for and _chunked it_ at Laxus' retreating figure. It hit him in the back of the head hard enough for him to make a startled sound. "Asshole," she mumbled.

He was laughing when he exited the building.

"Well well well," Bickslow cackled as he plopped down in the seat across from her. "Sounds like someone got soaked only to be hung up dry.~" Saveya punched him in the arm for the blonde lass, who only giggled when he whined like a scolded child at her. "Don't be so mean to your teammates!"

" _Not mean! Not mean! Pretty Savvy!"_

The violet haired woman only shook her head with a smile as she took a seat next to him. "Your babies always give you away, Bickslow."

Pipi and Pepe quickly took to seating themselves on the dream mage's shoulders.

Lucy could tell then and there that Bickslow was in _so deep_ for one woman. Sure, she'd known as much for a bit now, but seeing it made it that much more real. Her eyes trailed over to Freed, who was making his way over with Papa; the rune mage holding two plates of pancakes and the totem carrying the third plate.

"Miss Lucy," Freed greeted as he put the plates in front of himself and Saveya. "Was anything of importance said?"

"Juvia can't be our participant for the event." After it was said, she shoved her bite of pancakes into her mouth. After swallowing, she continued. "It sounds like there's a slayer assigned to each team to tell them who's fighting, so they're not worn out at the end of the day from doing both an event and a battle."

Freed nodded at this. "And who are the teams?"

"I don't know," she said softly with the shake of her head. "The only team I know of is Sabertooth. Rogue is still in, to save face. Hisui said Fairy Tail's cover is that we're wanting to test the waters with mages that _aren't_ slayers. Since the Coven hasn't been established long enough to join, Cobra doesn't need an excuse. But with Rogue still in it, we can expect the usual team."

"To make sure we don't show weakness after a bombing, yet still take precautions," Saveya nodded diligently. "It is the smartest move."

Bickslow shrugged. "I'm just glad we ain't got the weight of debt pushing us this time."

The blonde nodded, trying her hardest to seem normal. It was hard, though, and Freed's eyes on her person made it obvious that he knew she was hiding something. Thankfully, he didn't say anything about it. She'd talk to him later. He took up research on her magic, so he knew full and well that she _couldn't talk about it_ if she'd made an oath or a promise. That was all he needed to know. It was all she needed to tell him, and he'd respect that more than the others would.

"That's a pretty bracelet," Saveya complimented with a smile.

Lucy's smile in return was strained- though, again, it seemed like Freed was the only one to pick up on that fact. "Thank you. The Queen gave it to me."

"Fairy Tail has more back up than ever if you and Queenie are on such casual terms," Bickslow chuckled.

The blonde's smile at that bit was real. "You've got that right."

"Juvia woke up late," the blue haired woman said as she rushed into the lobby. "It isn't time to leave yet, is it?"

Freed shook his head. "We have another hour or so before we need to head that way. You should take this time to eat," he motioned at the remaining two empty seats at their table.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, "I have news to talk to you all about."

"Oh?" came a new effeminate voice. "Is this about Today?"

Turning around to see her red headed teammate enter the lobby from the outside, she smiled and nodded. "Sure is. Come sit, we'll chat."

"I have news as well that could be beneficial," she nodded with a smile, walking up to sit right next to the blonde. They waited just a little for Juvia to return with her own plate of pancakes before conversation started.

"I trust you've eaten?" Saveya asked Erza.

Titania smiled and nodded. "I have, yes."

"Alright," Lucy leaned forward. "So Laxus stopped by to tell me that Juvia will be fighting today in the battle rounds. He told me there's a Guard Dragon assigned to each team to let them know who to keep _out_ of the events so someone doesn't over exert themselves."

Juvia looked up and smiled. "At least this time, Juvia gets proper warning."

Bickslow nodded. "Better than last time we were at these damned games."

"Because of Cobra's specific brand of magic, he was able to get a little more information for us," the red head interjected. "The six mages up for the matches are Juvia, Rufus, Ren, Warcry, Risley and Toby. How they'll match up, he didn't know." Her eyes went to the water mage. "That was all the information he was willing to give up on the matches."

"It is priceless information," the water woman said. "It gives Juvia an idea of who she may fight later."

The blonde laughed a little but turned a smirk to Erza. "On the matches, eh?"

Titania smiled and nodded. "He _did_ let me know that he didn't know much about the event, but that they were thinking about mind games."

"So Savvy, FreFre and Cheerleader are contenders for this," Bickslow murmured, his eyes focused on his plate.

Freed and Lucy shared a look at this.

"What are you thinking about, Bickslow?" Saveya asked.

"I'm thinkin' it might be best to send in Cheerleader today," he shrugged.

Not expecting the seith's input, the team leader looked to him with wide brown eyes. Finally, she snapped out of it. In her own mind, she thought Freed was the best option for today to reserve some punches while still blowing it out of the water. Intrigued, she motioned with her hand at him. "Go on, then. Let me know what you think."

The seith seemed stunned to be heard out, but he quickly got over it. "We don't wanna give anythin' about Savvy Baby here away until we're forced to, so that leaves you and FreFre. If it's a battle of _wits_ , as in _mind games_ , I trust you over Freed. If it was more intelligence and information based, I'd trust Freed over you. But you're too smart at them mind games shit, finding loopholes and catapulting through them."

"He has a point," Erza agreed with a nod. "Cobra didn't stress intelligence, he said something about quick thinking and mind games, but no book smarts."

The rune mage nodded. "It helps that we can count on Rufus not being in the event, since he will be in the battle portion. If we send Lucy out, it gives us a chance to make appearances by talking with Erza."

"Speaking of which," Erza continued. "I have the list of teams and it doesn't look like any changes have really been made. Bacchus is an active member instead of a back-up, and their reserve member is now Nobarly. Otherwise, it doesn't look like there will be any hiccups."

Lucy's eyes sparkled. "That makes my life so much easier."

"Not as much guess work for Lucy-san," Juvia agreed with a smile.

"Let's rock it today, Juv."

"Juvia will do her best!"

* * *

The cacophony in the stadium always threw Lucy off. A crowd could make or break a performance, but just how _loud_ it was to have such a huge amount of people here… It astonished her. She noticed how Yukino stood to enter the event after Lucy herself did. Beth from Mermaid Heel and Yuka from Lamia Scale both stood across from her, and Jenny from Blue Pegasus was more on her right. That left Bacchus to stand further to the right. It felt like a grab bag, a grasp for _anything_ to get solid footing off the bat.

Then, the maze lifted from the center of the arena.

"Welcome all, welcome! To kick the week off, we're doing a special game called _Exits_! I hope you have your thinking caps on!" Mato announced into the mic. "There are six entry ways, one for each competitor, but there's only one exit! Be wary, mages, as all the doors may _look_ the same, but behind each one is a new challenge for you to get through! You will be ranked on how fast you make it to the proper exit!"

Lucy thought it over as a black door appeared in front of her on the twenty foot tall cement cube. There would be many doors, from what she could gather, but what exactly it would entail was left very vague. She couldn't gather much from this, not yet.

"On your marks…." Mato started.

Everyone around her crouched into readied positions, and Lucy fell back a step.

"GO!"

The blonde watched everyone else enter before racing in herself, noticing the stark lack of screaming. No battles, as far as she could tell. She ran down the narrow straight forward pathway until it came to a crossroads. Mulling over her options, the door in the back or the door to her left, Lucy realized the true exit wasn't one they could _see_ from the outside. It would be in the center. So, she took the left door.

Inside, she saw a remarkable statue of the Libra Scales, and on one side, there was a bucket causing the side to be weighted down. Her eyes narrowed at the words inscribed on it;

 _To balance the weight of the world- that is your exit_.

"I need to balance the weights..?"

She looked around, but the room was absolutely barren. Then, it dawned on her. She ran at the statue and forcibly kicked the bucket off, feeling a slight pain in the sole of her foot upon doing so. Whatever that bucket was made of was _fucking heavy_. The scales balanced out and a white light erupted from the back wall. When it died down, a black door was left behind, and she didn't hesitate to rush through it.

"Smart play," Erza nodded acceptingly. "Putting her first was probably the best decision."

Freed nodded. "It took her less time to just kick it off than it would have taken me to pile heavy runes."

"She's slower than usual," Saveya noticed, narrowing her eyes a bit. "During the trials, she thought so fast it was hard to keep up with her. Either she's purposefully slowing down, or something is weighing her down."

The rune mage crossed his arms over his chest and watched on as Yuka and Bacchus ended up going into the same corridor, and the fight was on. Or, rather, what fight there _was_ was on. Yuka, being a Wave Anti-Mage, made quick work of the palm mage- and while Bacchus wasn't defeated, he was temporarily stone solid from the _pain_ of having his magic container suddenly ripped away from immediate access. The severing wasn't permanent and only lasted roughly thirty seconds, but it was more than enough to get one helluva lead. Freed didn't immediately say anything. He'd make a point to talk to Lucy later.

His eyes then went to what his team leader was doing; choosing between two doors.

And after some mental math, Lucy chose the far back one. Immediately, she was shown three poles at different heights. On the wall, the words _Climb the right one and use the key, that shall guide your destiny_ were written. Instead of pausing, Lucy changed into her Taurus star dress. Just before anyone would vocalize wondering which pole was correct, Lucy just used the added strength to vault herself onto the tallest pole. The one on the right. Her hand grabbed the key and the next door was opened.

She was the only one having gone through two doors- though Yuka wasn't far behind. The one downside was that nobody knew how long it would take, so other than one other small skirmish coming up between Yukino and Beth (which the Tigress overpowered the Mermaid), nothing happened for a few minutes. It was after Lucy passed through her fourth door that she realized what was going on.

There was only one _exit_ \- it didn't have to be a door. In fact, the pumpkin stated that _each door_ brought you to a new challenge. She shifted into her Cancer star dress for the speed and raced back the same way she came from. It was such a sudden shift that it startled everyone watching. In fact, it was two seconds _after_ Lucy turned around that Rufus and Freed understood.

There's only one door the competitor can _exit from_ , and that meant that all the other doors were only challenges presented to pass time until you figured it out. There was one entrance for each mage, which meant the exit was the door you entered from. She'd ran around quite a few of the corners and down so many halls, though, that she almost lost where she was. It was only when she realized that the _first door_ she went through- the one with the Libra Scales- was missing.

Bacchus turned the corner to see her, and she didn't give him the chance to fight her. Lucy grabbed him by his wrist with her whip and _flung_ him into the wall where the door _should have been_. Sure enough, the palm mage slammed through the wall and his back smacked directly into the statue of the scales. Lucy then ran directly out of the mage, following the same path she entered through.

"And Lucy of Fairy Tail claims the first spot!"

 _Fucking seriously_ , Lucy groaned. While, yes, she was happy to get the first place claimed, she was also annoyed at herself. The answer was right in front of her face and it could have taken less than thirty seconds to clear. _That was the big reason she waited to enter the maze_. Trying to see if either anyone got immediately trapped in a battle or if there was a loophole she could see. But of course, she didn't get it until she wasted five fucking minutes.

She was, however, the first in the entire stadium to realize it. That should say something.

Yukino was quick to catch on after Lucy was announced, but she'd run a little too far from her entrance and had to bust down a few walls to get out. By the time Yukino was within range of the door, another contestant had beaten her to the second slot.

"Yuka Suzuki has finished!"

Yukino finally burst through seconds later.

"Yukino Aguria as brought in third!"

Soon after that, it took another two minutes or so for anyone else to come out. Jenny was fourth, followed by Beth. Bacchus was unable to finish, as Lucy had knocked him completely out without realizing it. Then, there was a fifteen minute intermission.

That was when Laxus cornered her on the way back to her seat.

"You seem mad."

"I am mad," she huffed.

Laxus raised a brow. "You got first place and you're mad about it."

"I wasted time," she corrected. "I could have figure it out sooner. He gave us all the information we needed in that one line."

He chuckled and put his hand on her head. "You were the first to get it, though."

"Rufus and Freed probably got it before me," she huffed.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Ask. I don't think they did."

She rolled her eyes and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "You're biased, I can't trust you."

"I'd trust me if I were you," he teased.

Lucy laughed and nuzzled her cheek against his chest. "I'll think about it."

His dragon was purring so loudly he couldn't help the sound as it rumbled from his chest. He loved every second of her being so comfortable with him, he loved every breath he took with her scent on it and he suddenly found himself struggling to hold back. His dragon was _more than ready_ to claim what was rightfully _theirs_. Not here, not in public. His jaw clenched tightly to try and keep it back.

Then a sudden smack hit him in the back of the head.

He snapped his head around, a deep growl bursting through his clenched teeth.

"Oh stop your shit, Thunder Twat," Orga growled back. "Get yourself together."

"Fuck off, Orga, I'll ride him here and now if I so damn well please," Lucy snarked.

"Oh Stars, _please don't_ ," Yukino said sharply.

Lucy laughed at the two but didn't pull away from her boyfriend.

Laxus sighed. "What do you want, you buffoon?"

The blonde lass _then_ pulled away from him to run over to Yukino and start talking about the event they were in. Orga, upon seeing the two weren't even _remotely_ interested in what they were doing, lifted up a letter. "Got this, this morning. Thought you might wanna read it."

Laxus raised a brow and took the folded paper from the tiger hesitantly. His eyes skimmed over the ink once.. Twice… And a third time before realization finally set into his gut. Looking up at the blonde woman to become his mate, he felt his breath catch in his throat. She deserved it.

"You think so too, huh?" Orga said softly.

The fairy folded the paper and passed it back to the god slayer. "What makes you think its her?"

Orga rolled his eyes. "Oh come on. If they're saying she'd be the first woman… To me, I don't see anyone in her league here participating right now."

Laxus crossed his arms over his chest and mulled over the words for a minute. He could always argue that Erza, Minerva and Kagura were all top tier competitors… As was Juvia, though if the trials spoke anything- or the way Lucy pushed the rain woman to train so hard- it meant Lucy _knew_ Juvia wasn't nearly as strong as she could be. So, eliminating the water woman was easy. Still, he didn't understand how he could think she would top _Erza_ of all people.

Minerva had a few… Rough patches to her past. Including backstabbing her own guild, joining a dark guild, becoming a demon to further the dark guild's motives…

"There's Titania, don't second guess her."

Orga shrugged a shoulder. "If they were gonna look at Scarlet, they would have done so by now. Same goes for Kagura. They've been on top of the game for years, so if they were the choices, it would have been done before now. But Lucy just hit S-Class and has been growing and improving at a breakneck rate since. Yuki's been coming on the up and up since Lucy stayed with us, but she's got a long ways to go to get to Shortstack's level."

Laxus mentally noted that Lucy helping the Queen in this manner would also be reason enough for her to be the one.

"I should tell Jiji this. He'd get an absolute kick from it."

"I thought as much. But we should head back. Battles are about to begin."

* * *

Laxus kept his eyes and nose on the crowd and everything around them. Standing on the top railings were the six Guard Dragons- as they jokingly dubbed themselves. However, they were nowhere around one another. The only other people allowed in this area were the castle's appointed guards… And the short man joining him now.

"What did you need, Laxus?" Makarov asked, jumping up onto the ledge to watch the fight happening between Ren and Risley.

"Orga passed me some news I think would warm your old heart up."

"Oh?"

"Has to do with my mate."

At that, Makarov's back straightened just a bit. Both Dreyars then looked to the blonde in Fairy Tail's box seat, in a heated conversation with Freed. They both motioned to the battle and spat words back and forth, and from what Laxus could hone in on, they were talking about threats for the fifth day already.

"She's a mighty fine choice, my son. Are you going to mate with her soon?"

Well that wasn't at all what he wanted to talk about.

However, seeing her there practically glowing as she tested her brains with the leader of his troupe… Having memories of their desperate, lingering kisses from last night… Remembering the ominous message she'd imparted on him- the declaration of war he couldn't yet tell the elder man next to him… He'd subconsciously made a decision.

"Before the final day, I want to. Only if she's ready."

Makarov's natural scent of barley and beech wood grew salty. "I'm so proud of you."

"You're about to be prouder, I swear," he nodded seriously.

The elder seemed to remember the topic at hand and nodded for the slayer to continue.

The two ended up having to wait, though, as Ren pulled a victory for Blue Pegasus. He was gracious in his victory, honorable, and helped Risley stand. Sherry Blendy, his now-wife, didn't seem to mind when he helped the Mermaid back to her seat, and merely encouraged him to help her out. Then, Rufus and Toby were called out. Once the match began, and the fight between the Tiger and the Lamia had begun, Laxus finally continued.

"So, you know Orga and I are being looked at for sainthood."

The elder turned his head sharply. "I knew it was a possibility, and heard rumors and small talk… You never told me that, though."

The slayer seemed a little embarrassed, almost shameful, at that. "...Sorry, Jiji… Things have been a little crazy since I got the letter."

The guild master nodded. "Tell me everything you know."

"The power gap left behind by God Serena is more than the council wants to admit. There are only six registered Wizard Saints right now, who are legal."

"Myself, Jura Neekis, Draculos Hyberion, Wolfheim, Warrod and Bob."

"Bob got his comeuppance just after the Alvarez war."

Makarov nodded. "We partied for two weeks straight for them. For my old teammate."

Laxus watched with little interest as Toby went down and _almost_ didn't get back up.

"They're _trying_ to fill in the other four spots in November."

Then, Rufus _remembered_ one of Jura's earth moves, and Toby was officially out. The changing of competitors gave his grandfather enough time to absorb the information. Rufus didn't immediately destroy Toby, but instead gave the mage enough training within their match so that- should the Lamia mage remember everything- by the final day, he'd be a stronger competitor. Anyone with half a brain stem knew that. And anyone with half a brain stem knew that sending Warcry against Juvia was a death sentence to the Cerberus.

His magic revolved around his own tears.

Juvia controlled all aspects of water.

There was no way in hell she'd lose.

"You and Orga make two," Makarov spoke after the gong rang for the last match of the day. "Who else? And what do you mean _trying_?"

Laxus nodded, his eyes now trained on the movements of the water mage. "Jellal is being reinstated. For a fact. He's too reliable and he's done too much with Sorciere that the Queen, nor the council, can ignore it. Orga and I are up in the air. We both have the power for it, but whatever other bullshit trial they're silently putting us through will make or break the decision."

Makarov nodded and accepted this. "And you think the fourth they're looking at is Lucy."

"I do."

"Why so?"

"Orga got a letter saying the fourth person being looked at was here competing at the games. Over half of the people down there are eliminated, since there's more testosterone fueling these games than the guild's boys locker room."

Laxus then blanked for a moment when he saw Juvia _lift Warcry in the air_ using his own magic against him. Since her last- rather embarrassing- showing at the Naval Battle… The Rain Woman had grown by leaps and bounds. He snapped back when Warcry hit the ground, and _immediately_ had to think of a way to put it so his grandfather got where he was coming from… Without telling him about the impending war.

"The reason the men are eliminated is because the letter spoke of possibly promoting the first ever Woman to the Saints."

The hidden scent of peaches reached his nose, and he knew that scent well. Hope. "Why do you think it's Lucy?"

"Many reasons," he responded coolly. "Of the women competing, I think the only ones in the running would be Minerva, Erza, Kagura and Lucy. Minerva has too much grime on her hands from past actions for her to be chosen, and Kagura and Erza have been on top of the world for years now. They could have been promoted before now… But Orga made a good point."

The silence from his grandfather told him to continue.

"They wait until _after_ Lucy went through the trials broadcasted to all light guilds in the kingdom- to the council and the castle as well. They waited until she was here, at the games, as an S-Class mage to send a vague clue on who the final person is."

"She controlled every single battle she was in, the pacing of them was all on her," Makarov reminded. "It wouldn't surprise me if they _also_ saw her rapid improvement. It wouldn't be Erza, either. They've looked at her before, but didn't allow her to pass because of the nature of her mind."

"That's the point." Laxus motioned to Juvia, who was just announced the winner of her match. "Hisui and the council are aware of who the leaders of the teams are- even if the rest of the crowd and speculators don't. This feels like a test."

 _A test before the shitstorm._

The words never left him.

Still, Makarov picked up on how tense his grandson was. "What else?"

"I can't say," he whispered. "Lucy barely convinced Hisui to let her tell me. She made me swear on _her life_ not to tell anyone. Please, Jiji, don't make me say."

The elder inhaled deeply. "This information is confirmation to you that she's the one being looked at."

It wasn't a question. Still, Laxus agreed with a small hum.

"I'll leave it be. Will I ever know..?"

"Sunday."

"That _is_ rather ominous," he mumbled. "The Queen asked that certain mages from the guilds stay until Monday."

 _Sunday was when they were being told._

"I can't say if it's connected."

"I'll assume, then."

"I can't confirm or deny your assumption."

"Answer me this; should I be on high guard?"

At that, the lightning mage paused. "...Yes and no. Yes, the situation at hand calls for high guard. No, because if I would trust anyone to make it happen without us _needing_ those high guards… It's Lucy."

"I'll take your word for it. And Laxus?"

"Yes, Jiji?"

"I'm serious. I _am_ , _so very proud_ of you."

"...Thanks, Gramps."

* * *

That night, Lucy and her team were celebrating for their early lead in the games. The few things actually spoken about were far from the games at hand, and they never really talked about it. This was relax time, not strategy time. Cana and Mira both bartended for the crew- including the Fairy Tail team, Crime Sorciere, Bickslow, Evergreen, Elfman, Laxus and one Pegasus who didn't seem to mind flirting quite openly with Freed.

Drinks were passed around, laughs were had and they only briefly even spoke about the rest of their guild- who were celebrating and partying elsewhere. The Inn's staff seemed both on edge and genuinely joyous. They were keeping a close eye on the amount of alcohol consumed- which set them on edge. Obviously they'd never seen a Fairy Tail party, otherwise they'd know this was _lunch_ to them. But, the staff seemed genuinely excited for their guild.

When everything was winding down for the night, they saw how everything broke off. Jellal and the rest of his guild left with Erza in tow. Hibiki followed Freed like a lost puppy to the rune mage's room. Elfman carried a sleeping Evergreen in his arms as he followed Cana and his sister out of the Inn. The big surprise was Saveya. After a few drinks, the usually quiet and reserved woman broke out of her shell enough to cast Bickslow a _come hither_ finger accompanied by hooded lids and a heat behind her eyes.

Needless to say, Bickslow followed her like a lost puppy.

Lucy laughed and pointed this out to her boyfriend, who also agreed that it was about damned time. Laxus didn't know how much longer he'd be able to stand seeing the seith trip and fall over himself for the dream mage.

He picked up Lucy's empty solo cup and his own empty cup and trashed them, before guiding her to their room as well. Once inside, Lucy ran to the bed and plopped down on it face-first.

The slayer laughed at this. "Feeling good?"

"Great, actually," she mumbled through the blankets.

He shook his head and took care to remove her boots from her feet. "Go get a shower and come back to me?"

"I will," she agreed as she sat up. "Something on your mind?"

"You could say that," he agreed. When she was silently eyeing him, as though suspicious of his person, he sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. "Go get your ass in the shower, we'll talk about it in a minute."

"But it seems like we should talk now."

His eyes narrowed.

Hers narrowed back.

"We could talk in the shower, you know," she offered, a devious smirk settling on her lips. Her mind raced, her imagination supplying her with the mental image of what Laxus might have looked like in the shower. Water gliding down his torso, artificial lighting bouncing off and making him seem like a damned _god_ …

He was about to snark back at her, but paused when he scented her arousal once more. That heated, warm vanilla candle with hints of cinnamon. A low, rumbling growl left his throat upon smelling it. _No_ , he couldn't do that yet. He wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself, and he feared he'd lose control before she wanted. That was the very damned thing he wanted to _talk_ to her about.

"Walk your happy ass into that bathroom already, woman." He leaned down over her, his arms keeping hers pinned to the bed. "Or you won't be able to walk in the morning."

She rubbed her thighs together and whined softly in a way that had his dragon _clawing_ at the internal restraints. The struggle was written clearly on his face, and Lucy felt a flash of brief guilt for pushing him. It was gone in a flash, but he caught the soured pear scent that briefly dulled the candle. Still growling, he nuzzled his nose up against the column of her throat, trying to dispel any doubts.

"That's what I want to talk about, Lucy."

Ice water washed over her only for that flame to be reignited. If he wanted to talk about it, he was getting close to being ready- if he wasn't already. She gulped deeply and nodded, wiggling out of his hold only to race for the bathroom. There, she proceeded to take the fastest shower of her _life_.

By the time she came back out, dressed in some boyshort underwear and a comfortable bra and only covered by one of his shirts she _borrowed_ , he was in bed waiting for her to join him. Her soft footsteps, so silent he barely heard them, were the only sound filling the runed room. Tension rose, though he would be lying if it didn't absolutely _exhilarate_ him. The sexual tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife, and as she crawled into bed, he couldn't help but be pleased as that warm vanilla returned.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked softly, her hand reaching up to trace invisible shapes onto his chest.

Laxus pulled her closer, settling her head on his shoulder and wrapping that arm around her waist. "I was thinking… Maybe tomorrow night?"

Lucy bit her lower lip, her thighs burning with how tightly she clenched them. Unfortunately for both of them, her reasoning won out. "We don't know when I might be battling."

"If I tell the Queen-"

"No, there's no reason to," she muttered as she cut him off with a kiss. Waiting as long as she was about to suggest may be the _end_ of her, but she'd power through. Somehow. "We have Friday free. Saturday is the final day, and Sunday the celebration… Thursday night would give us plenty of time, and that would make sure I wouldn't fight the next day."

He groaned in defeat. "I hate it when you're right."

"No you don't."

"I'm serious, you know. I can tell the Queen."

Lucy shook her head. "Even if she did cave, that kind of surprise to everyone else would be best saved for the final day, you know."

He huffed like a pouting child, but didn't argue.

She traced her fingers with a feather-like gentility up his chest and gently caressed his jawline. "What… What made you want to, so soon?"

He stiffened a little, but forced himself to relax. He knew, from experience, it was a bad idea to lie to the beautiful blonde at his side. She could read him like a damned book now, and that mildly terrified him… But that aside, she deserved an answer. An honest one. "I've been… Struggling against the dragon since you agreed to be my girlfriend. I was hesitant, worried that I might be pushing you or racing into a life changing decision that I wasn't ready for…"

His eyes locked onto hers, and he _let her see_ the desperation in them.

"But I _don't care_. I _know_ I need you, Lucy. I love you too much to just… Let you go. No matter the repercussions, I just have the _instinct_ that tells me… This will only be better for us." He then looked past the blonde to the locked door- as though watching for someone to just barge in or something. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Tartaros and Alvarez… We lost too much. _I_ lost too much…"

Flashes of memories raced through his mind.

Ethernano.

Failing to protect his team like he swore he would.

Carrying Makarov's dead body.

The overwhelming flood of relief and grief both escaping through tears when his grandfather awoke.

"I can't… I _can't_ lose you, too." He finally looked back into her saddened eyes. "Mated or not, I just… I wouldn't survive it. You're _it_ for me, Lucy. Since the process helps strengthen you, and me but that's not the issue here… It would better _protect you_. I would be able to _tell_ when you needed the help most and follow that feeling until I found you. I just… I can't stomach any idea of you… Of you…"

She shushed him, tears lining her brilliant brown eyes. The smile on her face was soft, kind, and one of the warmest things he'd ever seen. "It's okay, Laxus. I'm here and I promise you- if I have anything to say about it, I'm not going anywhere. I'm _here_ , with you, because you make me feel at home. I'd take on the whole fucking world if it meant coming _home_."

He sighed and rubbed her back gently. "It still sets me on edge."

"Thursday immediately after the battles, then. Or after the event, if I'm not fighting."

"Thursday, then."

He seriously hoped she wouldn't have to fight.

* * *

The next day started with the same thing as the previous; it would become their routine over the next three days. Laxus meets Lucy as she's eating breakfast alone- after Erza had already taken off to see Jellal. He'd tell her the fighter, wish her luck, and be on his way just as Freed, Bickslow and Saveya would come out. They'd start talking about the day ahead of them, and Juvia would race in a little after the others but seconds before Erza returned.

Today, it seemed like Saveya would be battling. And she knew the drill. She couldn't call on her Dream nor Nightmare Formes until the final day. This moment, Lucy believed, would be the turning point in the games. Erza, through Cobra, knew today would be a spell strength event. As a Requip mage specializing in melee combat, Erza dipped out of it. When it came down to it, Lucy decided to make a rather gutsy call and throw Juvia in the fray.

And as Lucy looked down at the competitors, she realized that the only _real_ competition for the Rain Woman was Minerva. Ren from Blue Pegasus and Risley Law were both there despite their battles the previous day, as was Toby for that matter. The Cerberus Rocker, Minerva and Juvia were the only _truly_ fresh faces. Lucy's brown eyes narrowed. They weren't giving her much to strategize over if they weren't putting unused mages out there.

"Welcome all, Welcome! I hope everyone slept well, because today's show looks more exciting than yesterday's!" The former King said through the pumpkin mask, enrapturing the audience. "Today's Surprise Event will be… Ticker Time!" After saying the words, six pillars lifted from the earth beneath them in the center of the colosseum. They looked almost muddy in appearance, but seemed sturdy enough. "At the tops of these pillars are ten dummies. But don't be fooled!"

In the center of the pillars was a guild symbol, showing where the mage should stand. To the left were three dummies- close to the edge yet still close to the symbol- and the right side mirrored it. However, there were symbols on the dummies themselves that didn't match the ones in the center of the pillar.

"You can only take down the dummies with _your_ guild symbol on them! Try not to hit the other mages, and try not to _get_ hit yourself! You can block the dummies on your pillar but you can't move them. The dummies each have a high powered lacrima in them, as well, so you better hit them hard enough to kill the lacrima inside!"

"I could have done this," Erza said with a pout, crossing her arms.

Lucy shrugged. "If you would have gone, Kagura would have been there too. We want as much of an early lead as we can get, and Kagura may have put a wrench in that." Her eyes were sizing up the moisture in the earth and realized- happily- that Juvia could be the first one up there with just how _muddy_ the earth was. "We just need to have faith in her."

The red headed woman nodded. "I do… And perhaps you're right. Our rivalry can get… Heated."

The blonde snorted. "You think?"

When 'Mato' shouted _go_ , all Juvia had to do was _touch_ the pillar to get to the top. Sure enough, she was the first to the top, and she was _smart_ about her first move, too. She _immediately_ took out the Fairy Tail dummy on the Sabertooth pillar, knowing Minerva would prove the most difficult to get around. Minerva, upon reaching the top and seeing this, aimed for the Sabertooth dummy on Juvia's pillar- but Juvia blocked the attack with a wall of water.

"Getting the hardest dummy out of the way first is smart," Freed complimented.

Erza nodded. "She's come a long way."

"That she has," Lucy nodded in agreement.

Even from across the way, she heard Gray loudly cheering for the Rain Woman, but that didn't deter her at all.

Carefully, with precision and just a smidge of difficulty, Juvia was able to take down the dummies on most other's pillars- only coming into a problem when she tried for Ren's. He would have to wait, though. Juvia blocked Minerva with one hand and Risley with the other, but accidentally left it open for Rocker to steal the Cerberus' dummy from her pillar. Then, she had to make a split second decision.

The only one Minerva had left was on her pillar.

The amount of magic said woman was building up made her skin crawl.

She could focus on blocking and leave Ren open enough to take his final dummy from her pillar, or she could dodge and take her dummy from the Cerberus' station. In a flash, she didn't make a decision, and instead opted for both. "Whirlpool!" she shouted, pulling the water from all of the muddy pillars to create a vortex of water around her own. Using that water, Juvia jumped high in the air and took aim at Rocker. Without water to keep the pillars solidified and sturdy, though, meant that each of them began crumbling at high speeds. "TYPHOON SHOT!" came her war cry. She shot off a spiraling water jet from above the swirling walls of water, headed right for the Cerberus.

"The best play, but now it's a desperate race," Saveya commented.

Lucy nodded. "Even that Whirlpool can't block all of Minerva's attack-"

"TERRITORY: DARK MATTER BLAST!" The tigress shouted, aiming at the whirlpool created.

It was nothing more than a _split second_ at best- the timing in which the two women's attacks hit. It was so close, in fact, that after all was said and done- all dummies 'dead' and all pillars left in heaping piles of dirt- they had to do a slow-motion replay. The Sabertooth dummy deactivated roughly one _seventeenth_ of a second sooner than the Fairy Tail dummy. So, Juvia came in second. It wasn't a complete loss, though, as it still kept them ahead of the rest- though currently, the blonde was more worried about how Sabertooth was only two points behind them now.

Lucy bit her lower lip as the rest of the players were called out. Blue Pegasus placed third, then Quatro Cerberus. Somehow, melee-mage Toby nabbed fifth place, though poor Risley was severely outclassed. Her Altered Gravity magic just wasn't the best for this type of event.

She suspected Kagura would come after Fairy Tail in the final day. With how bad of a footing Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus had gotten in these first two days, she suspected they would, as well… Though, hopefully, with smaller repercussions.

When intermission came and went, the blonde realized she hadn't even moved from her seat. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts for the final battle, calculating the expressions of those around her, to get up and stretch or to go meet Laxus. Then, the first match started; Yuka from Lamia Scale against Semmes from Quatro Cerberus. Unfortunately, this turned into something of a squash match. Yuka's Anti-Mage status as a "wave mage" (if you could even call it that), meant Semmes was without his spinning magic altogether.

The whole match took less than five minutes for Yuka to dominate.

Rogue and Eve's battle wasn't much longer. The snow mage just couldn't hold a candle to a dragon slayer- but, then again, most people couldn't. Those who could were either complete _monsters_ or they were a different type of slayer. But the match that actually had everyone holding their breaths was the one between the Thread Mage Araña Webb and Saveya. The two weren't necessarily the strongest of their respective teams, but they knew how to make a match interesting for spectators.

Araña started the match, the tall green haired woman sending a web shot off towards Saveya. The taller, violet haired woman seemed to get hit by it- though her person vanished in a cloud of smoke when hit. The mermaid turned, trying to see anything, anywhere, when the smoke continued to cover the arena slowly. A flash of violet hair had Araña attacking recklessly- only for that vision to disappear as well.

"Illusions," Freed said slowly. "I've never seen her magic in play."

"I have, as has Levy," Lucy nodded, watching as the mermaid shot off another web only for it to be reflected off of an unseen surface back at her. "She's smart and brings her opponents down smoothly. I have no doubt she'll win this for us."

Juvia nodded, her face a little solemn at how she'd been outdone by _less than a fucking second_. "Juvia hopes so."

"You did great, Juvia," Erza said softly, placing a soothing hand on her shoulder.

Their attentions were drawn back when they noticed the nearly unseen surface taking form as see-though mirrors. Inside each mirror stood the Dream Mage, looking down from the bridge of her nose at the thread weaver. Araña seemed _highly_ agitated at this. "Web Blast!" she shouted, aiming for one of the mirrors. The spiderweb meant to encapsulate whatever it touched went straight through the mirror in front of her, only to come _out_ of a mirror behind her and wrap her up in it instead of the Fairy.

The mirrors faded, but the illusions of the many Saveyas stayed. Each of the illusions had fuschia eyes instead of her usual violet ones, and they were all glowing a bright pink. It was the only indication that what they were seeing was _actually_ an illusion. Even then, only Fairy Tail knew this. Araña looked between the illusions wildly, struggling to get herself free. And, in a moment of recklessness, she foolishly send out a splintered Web Shot to attach to each of the illusions.

They went through all but one of them.

Saveya had been found- but now, she had the entire thing in the palms of her hands.

"Count the sheep of night, and _sleep_ ," she said calmly, her hand grabbing at the off-white webbing. The string began glowing a soft blue as she extended her own Sleep Magic through it like an electrical line. Araña was fast enough to jump back and disconnect the thread from her hands- but it was a little too late.

The Fairy's eyes glowed even brighter, the thread in her hand morphing to look like a _thick_ whip with various lethal looking fuschia spikes on it. Sav then pulled back and struck out at the still webbed up Araña with _force_ , mimicking the way Lucy used her own whip near perfectly. There was no way a woman with Dream Magic and no experience with an actual whip could emulate the motions perfectly.

The whip coiled around the thread mage, the spikes digging into her flesh and making her bleed.

Last time Lucy checked, Illusions couldn't do that.

"Freed?"

"She's using her own magic to power the illusion into being physical," he whispered with wide eyes. "I've… Never seen this executed."

"Sleep," Saveya urged.

The woman soon lowered her eyelids, no longer able to fight the urge with those spikes pumping a small amount of dream and sleep magic directly into her.

And the match was called.

Lucy smirked. "I told you. I knew keeping her tame on the illusion front of training wouldn't make much of a difference."

"Only now they know the tells of her magic," Erza noted with a frown.

Juvia nodded and stood slowly. "Juvia doesn't think it will be a big problem. Even if they know it is an illusion, Saveya-san can make them physical."

"They also are blind to her Formes." Freed interjected.

Lucy nodded. "Let's go. And guys?"

They paused and waited for her.

"Here's the note. Pass it around so it's not said aloud." The blonde handed over the note to Erza first, who seemed comforted by what was written. As soon as everyone had read it, Lucy made Juvia reduce it to nothing but particles by oversaturating it. "Take Friday off, and Stars help you if you need to reach either of us that day."

"Duly noted," Freed said with a smile.

And that was that.

The night came and went with more teasing had between Lucy and Laxus- where she accidentally almost pushed his buttons a little too hard. And the third morning, when Lucy was told Freed would be reserved for battles, she knew then that she and Erza would be in the tag team event. Quickly running through the mental list, she realized there was only three teams they would possibly face; Lamia Scale, Sabertooth or Blue Pegasus.

When Erza let her know of the other participants for the day's battles, she knew the strongest mages from each guild were reserved for the final day. Lyon and Jura. Bacchus and Jager. Hibiki and Ichiya. Kagura and Millianna. Orga and Yukino. Jura, Erza, Bacchus, Kagura, Ichiya and Orga being reserved for the tag event meant they had this whole damned thing planned this way.

Lucy's eyes narrowed at the event, barely registering how fast time was passing. It was some sort of stealth event, and she'd thrown Saveya to the wolves knowing she'd be the best outside of Freed for the event. Millianna, Lyon, Rogue, Warcry and Hibiki were also present, and the way the group of mages individually dodged and snuck past a plethora of literal death traps was anxiety-inducing.

Especially when Saveya had to rush out a sleep spell to keep a _massive beast_ from attacking her. The blonde barely registered the various challenges they had to do just to keep away from swinging axes, falling hammers that could flatten a damned dragon (or it seemed), poisoned darts, and the like. Well, they had to if they wanted to skip triggering the traps, anyway. It caused most onlookers to feel tense and anxious for the mages below.

Or it would have, if she'd been focused completely on it.

No, she was taking in what the mages were _doing_ , their body languages and their magical abilities they showed. And, she was thinking through the possible fights she might have. Ichiya and Hibiki would be a difficult obstacle, but she trusted that Erza knew enough about Ichiya to pull them through should that happen… But the real problems were facing either Orga or Jura.

She knew from _experience_ that there was no way in hell she'd be able to topple Orga… And Jura was a fucking _Wizard Saint_. Nothing about those battles seemed even remotely winnable, and it was throwing her off. Then, there was the other issue they'd painted themselves into: if Erza and Lucy were both battling, that meant Freed would have to do the surprise event, no matter what it was. This whole situation put a wrench in the cogs of her plans. They _needed_ the huge lead if they wanted to win.

And Lucy _really_ wanted to win. Not only would this determine how things would play out with Hisui, but it would also give her a much needed confidence boost. And there was no reason why they _shouldn't_ gun for the top. With her brain conjuring up strategies at sixty kilometers an hour, she completely missed Saveya's win.

Millianna, pouting but proud, came second… Then, came Rogue just before Lyon. Hibiki managed to pull out in fifth, leaving Warcry in the dust. The man's magic revolved around crying, which was usually a loud and sobbing ordeal. It just didn't work for stealth. It wasn't until the first match of the afternoon was announced that she finally realized that the day had escaped her. Below, on the field, showed Rocker and Beth.

"Are you okay?" Erza asked, noticing the blonde's startlement.

Lucy slowly nodded, realizing she felt too… Empty. Something was wrong and she didn't know what it was. Dread slowly began to creep into her gut, and she managed to choke out the words "Yeah… I will be."

"Juvia is worried about Lucy-san," the water mage said softly.

The blonde nodded and stood. "I… I have to go. Tell me the results later?"

But she didn't give anyone time to respond before she was rushing away. Something was terribly wrong and she just didn't know _what_ it was yet. As she raced down the corridors of the inner walls of the arena, she barely registered a hand grabbing her wrist and pulling her back until she was jerked back. Shock and surprise flitted through her and, on instinct, she threw whoever it was over her shoulder on their back like she had done to Laxus twice before.

"Dammit, Bunny!"

She blinked down at the pained red eyes beneath her. "Gajeel?"

Her foot slowly retreated from his shoulder and she helped him up seconds later. "God damn, remind me not to fuckin' scare ya."

"Laxus said something similar."

"I don't doubt it," he gruffly replied. His eyes narrowed on her person. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

She hesitated, but his eyes told her that he wouldn't let her walk away without an explanation. "Something's wrong. Gut instinct. I don't know what it is."

That was the truth, and it was enough for the Iron Slayer. "Go straight ahead, second staircase on the left. That'll lead you to Cobra and Laxus."

"Thanks," she said before taking off like a bullet. The stairs she took by twos, confident in her stride, and the moment she broke out of the door, Laxus and Cobra were both standing there on guard and high alert. "I-"

"Call her, now, Bright Eyes," Cobra interjected. "You couldn't hide what's in your soul from me, anyway."

Lucy cursed, knowing she'd accidentally let the poison slayer know about the impending war.

"It's not your fault," he quickly replied. "Now call her."

"Call who?" Laxus demanded.

"Hisui," Lucy replied. Cheers for the battle happening now between Chelia and Jenny deafened what they were saying to the rest of the world. "Are there any Slayers close enough to hear?"

"Just me," Cobra smoothly replied as he took a few steps away from the blonde.

"Alright," she nodded, thankful that he moved away from the view. Laxus then stepped into her personal space and started rubbing a soothing hand over her lower back. She powered up the lacrima bracelet and watched as it projected a view of the Queen's face when she answered.

"Lucy, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon."

The blonde shook her head. "Something's wrong, Hisui."

"I know," she replied with a sad, solemn nod. "I got a call from two women from Alvarez. Dimaria and Brandish were their names."

A chill went down her spine and dread spread through her veins.

The Queen looked away for a moment before returning her attention to the blonde. "Pergrande sent their navy first, and were caught by Alvarez' navy. They were trying to flank us from all sides, but they took care of the water threat for us, as our allies."

Lucy let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, tension causing her entire person to stiffen. The sounds of the crowd cheering for the winner (that she'd later found out was Chelia, and that Beth had won against Rocker in a surprising upset) grew muffled as panic settled in. Her vision blurred for a second, but a rumbling sound drew her back from the almost-panic attack. She leaned into the feeling of a hand at her back, trying to find some sort of stability. Laxus' purring and his hand were enough for her to stabilize herself with.

Though when she finally spoke again, her voice was unusually small. "How long?"

"An hour ago. They caught them setting up last night, and finished driving them away a little over an hour ago. I just got off the line with Brandish when you called," the jade haired woman answered smoothly. Too smoothly. She was putting her Royal Front on to cover her anxiety hiding behind those jade eyes. Nobody else may be able to see through the facade, but Lucy could.

Lucy herself had one from when she was still at the estate.

"How long before they reach us?"

"They won't," Hisui answered sternly. "If they continued towards us, they'd get here by Wednesday. We'll be meeting them on Tuesday a few miles away from our border."

The blonde woman nodded, swallowing her growing anxiety. "Alright. Please… Keep me posted?"

"I will," she answered softly. "I was going to call you once the Battles were over, but you beat me to it."

She only nodded and looked back at the stadium, surprised to see Minerva and Freed fighting it out. Her eyes widened when she made the stark realization that she and Erza were likely going to fight Jura and Lyon. Hibiki and Ichiya against she and Erza didn't seem like a match worth a lot in the eyes of the spectators…

"I need to focus on the Games… Call me if anything happens."

Lucy cut the line before the Queen could respond.

"Take her back to your room," Cobra said to Laxus. "She's about to panic again. Realized who her match is against tomorrow." He then used his thumb to motion to the arena- where the match had been called to a draw. "Might want to fill her in on what happened, so she knows the scoreboard, too."

Laxus noticed Lucy was already shaking and hyperventilating, not paying attention to anything said. He lifted her up in his arms and nodded to the poison dragon slayer. "Tell Erza where she is and that she had a panic attack."

Before Laxus could say any more, the poison mage waved a nonchalant hand. "Don't tell her about the impending war, the bracelet or the fact that Lucy's in cahoots with the Queen. Got it. And you let _her_ know that I heard Queenie's soul and knew about this whole thing well before now. She doesn't need any more to freak out about."

"Thanks man."

"Go choke on it."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Author's Note:**_ _I am barely alive right now y'all. Wrestlemania was seven and a half hours long yesterday and BOY was it intense. John Cena came out as Thuganomics, for goodness' sake. It was cRAZY. That being said, this is another chapter I tried to get done before I was set to officially return to this story. I apologize in advance for typos and whatnot, but it sounded like everyone wanted some smut... So the entire last half of the chapter is just their mating. I have a break in place for those of you who DON'T want to read it, so you can just skip._

 _On another aside, this story MIGHT have another 5-7 chapters in it. MIGHT. I'm finally getting to a point where I can wrap things up here- and once this story is done, I can finally go on to focus on my other unfinished fics. (oof, I have... Too many unfinished fics) I hope you all like the chapter nonetheless, and the implications it has on where the rest of the story is going to go. I hope you're all ready to finish this wild ride with me, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. I have no idea when the next chapter will be posted, but I'm working on it now (as well as the next chapter of A Mating Season Love Spell) so hopefully it won't be too long._

 _Nonetheless, have a wonderful night and don't forget to stay lovely!_

* * *

A gentle knocking at the door was what awoke Lucy from her slumber. After having a horrible panic attack and then getting calmed by Laxus, the blonde woman was _exhausted_ and drained. Even now, she could feel the sleep tugging at her eyes. Slowly, sluggishly, the woman crawled out of bed and padded over to the door. There was no reason for her to be awake so early- or, rather, what she thought was early- and she was about to give whichever teammate that decided to wake her a piece of her rather tired mind. Opening said door, though, was a shock. It wasn't _anyone_ from her team- or her guild for that matter.

"Sting? What the hell are you doing here?"

The Saber smirked, but she could see the concern in his blue eyes. "I was told by two little birdies I should come and check on ya." He had a bag of food around his wrist, and in that same hand, he carried a two-drink holder with two cups of what she mildly hoped were coffee.

"Which birds to I need to make dinner from?"

"Oof. Vicious."

"I don't like people waking me up."

"You realize you have an hour to get to the arena, right?"

Her brown eyes widened. Speaking with horologium through their bond, she found that he was right. She'd overslept- way overslept. Before she could start freaking out, the slayer put his free hand on her shoulder and leaned down just a bit. Now eye-to-eye, she could see just how deep the concern in his eyes went.

"Levy and Laxus both are freakin' out about what happened yesterday."

She stiffened. How did Levy find out? What all did Laxus say?

But Sting cut her off before she could voice anything. "Don't freak. Chill out a second, alright? Talk to me, you're not needed for a while. Gildarts is sitting with the crew during the event."

Lucy sighed and her shoulders slumped. "I messed up again…"

"You didn't," he sternly replied. "Everyone needs a breath once and awhile. Sounds to me like you've been holding in serious stress lately."

The lass just stepped out of the way of the door for Sting to come in- which he did with little hesitation. He took a seat at the table, being mindful and respectful of not only her things but also of the fact that he was now alone in a room with the mate of the strongest dragon slayer amongst them. Laxus was like an Alpha of sorts, though none of the others would ever admit this much. Slayers were naturally Alphas by default, so none wanted to _admit_ that Laxus was like the Alpha of Alphas… But they all damn well knew it.

From the bag, the blond pulled two takeout boxes, two styrofoam bowls and a third styrofoam food box. Upon opening the takeout boxes, she noticed the lo mein inside and her mouth decided to water. The bowls held miso soup, and the last box had grilled veggies and seafood in it. Her brown eyes sparkled a bit. While this definitely wasn't a breakfast meal, she knew he remembered her favorite food combination from her stay at his guild. She lifted the chopsticks and immediately grabbed at a piece of shrimp that was calling her name.

The tiger laughed at her actions but it wasn't mean spirited. "So… I have what I hope is good news for you."

"Oh?" she mumbled through her food.

He nodded, lifting a spoon to get after his soup. "You're not alone anymore."

Her eyes narrowed at this while she went after the noodles.

He only shrugged at her glare, and only spoke after his spoonful. "The Queen called in the Guild Masters and Laxus. We know about Sunday."

Her eyes went wide.

He nodded. "She told us what you were doing, what you've been hiding from us. We can't talk about anything to our respective guilds. She's leaving that to you, because you made the list of mages."

The blonde woman looked down at the table, suddenly feeling like a scolded child. "...Are you mad?"

"Absolutely," the tiger agreed. "At the queen, for making you hide something like that."

She felt tears prick at her eyes. "...Laxus…?"

"He's pissed too. You're his mate, and making you hide something this heavy obviously pissed him off," he replied easily. He noted the way her saddened scent only seemed to get stronger. "I volunteered to come and talk to you."

"You did?" she whispered. "Why?"

"You're my sister." Sting smirked devilishly. "You're an unofficial Tiger, Lucy. You have our support wholly- and I kind of owe you for opening my eyes."

Her head tilted, confused.

"You brought my mate to me. I can't say how much that means to a slayer, but I owe you a lot."

"Levy?"

"Mhm."

"Strange," Lucy retorted. "I thought it was flirty and fun, not this serious."

"It started that way, until I got my head out of my ass Tuesday and realized what my dragon was fussing about."

She snorted. "Typical Dragon Slayer."

"Hey," he pouted, throwing a piece of grilled broccoli at her. It bounced off her nose and landed in her noodles. "Don't be rude."

"You haven't mated her yet, right?"

He shook his head no. "No dragon slayer has been officially mated yet."

 _Well that will change later_ , she thought.

Despite the heavy topic and early morning, a strange sense of relief flooded through her. She no longer had to stay stone silent about the issue at hand. It was no longer _only_ her burden to carry- no longer only hers and her mates. Others knew. Others could now sympathize. Still, she may have a lot to explain, but at least she wasn't _alone_ anymore. At least she and Laxus were no longer isolated, as they had been before. The tension in her gut remained, but it slowly started to unfurl.

"What do you think of the list?" she asked, curious at his take.

He leaned back, taking a moment to think as he munched on his food. It took a few minutes, but he finally spoke. "Curious on what your brain is doing. A little confused. There are names I didn't expect to see on there."

"As in?"

"Warren. Jet. Jager and Droy. Dobengal. Mest. Araña and Risley. Richard, Racer, Yuka… There are a lot of names I don't get."

Lucy nodded, but didn't say anything yet.

"I trust you, though," the tiger admitted. "Rufus may not know, but he's been doing nothing but praising your brain and how far you've come. It takes a lot to even get a _good job_ out of the bastard, so that says something. He was shocked you solved the maze before he did, too."

Her eyes widened and she looked at him in _clear_ shock. "Really..?"

Sting nodded. "Yeah. He's excited that he actually has competition on the strategical front."

"Has he forgotten Freed?"

"Nope, hasn't forgotten. Rufus has won all but ten of the nearly two hundred mind games they've engaged in. Freed gives him a challenge, but not actual competition. You, on the other hand, have him more talkative because of the competition you're shaping up to be."

She blushed lightly, a small smile on her face. "...I'm glad."

They continued to eat in peaceful conversation. Even when she tried to rush, he would slow her down almost immediately and remind her that there was no reason to. She was told, eventually, that Saveya was the one who told Levy of Lucy's panic and disappearance. While at first, she wanted to be mad, she just couldn't find it in her to be. The dream mage was just being cautious and careful and the blonde couldn't blame her there. She was also told that since Rogue wasn't participating today, he was briefly taking Sting's position as guard until they got there.

After Lucy got dressed for the day, the two took off for the arena. They broke apart and while Lucy wanted to seek Laxus out immediately, she couldn't she could hear the announcement of the first person winning the event- Freed. Pride welled within her for her teammate and she couldn't help the happy smile on her features. With one final internal shove, she forced the impending war to the back of her mind.

Right now, she had bigger fish to fry.

The blonde joined her team in their box, though she was only able to stay for about ten minutes before she and Erza had to start heading towards the field to prepare for the battles. Still, in that small time, she was able to reassure everyone there and guarantee that she was fine. On the way down, though, Laxus finally intercepted her.

"There you are," he mumbled, picking up the pace to pull her into his arms tightly.

Lucy smiled and willingly sank into his hold. "I'm alive, I swear."

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "You're gonna be fine."

"I won't," she huffed. "I'm probably against a monster."

"We are," Erza nodded from her spot a ways away from the couple. "Jura and Lyon were confirmed to be our opponents."

"See? I'm dead."

"You'll live."

"I'm gonna die."

Laxus shocked her a little, lightning jumping from his person to her shoulder. She yelped at the sensation, but he _easily_ scented the warm vanilla spiced with cinnamon. His dragon let out a _massive_ internal roar at this. Her natural, physical reaction to his magic only made him want her that much more. Unbeknownst to him, the pupils of his storm blue eyes grew slitted. He was _trying_ to keep it together.

Erza raised a brow at him when he looked her way to calm himself down, and that caused him to clear his throat. After her battle, she'd be _his_. He could wait an hour. He _had_ to wait an hour. The mantra that fell into his mind was _only two hours, only two hours, only two hours_. It was barely enough to restrain his instincts and his _burning_ desire.

Then, he scented ash and ore.

A deep, low, threatening growl came from his chest and it caused Lucy to pull away slightly. Before she could ask what was wrong, she heard the offenders.

"Luce!"

"Bunny!"

Her brown eyes shifted to the other two slayers standing a _distance_ from the two blondes. "Natsu? Gajeel? What are you two doing here?"

"LUCY!" came a third.

Then, the blonde woman was violently ripped from Laxus.

Wendy had _barrelled_ in, wrapping her arms around Lucy's waist tightly and nearly caused the celestial mage to hit the floor. Laxus was barely able to catch the two before they fell.

"Oof, Wen, what the hell are you thinking?" she 'scolded'. Her tone was too soft to be scolding, though, and she hugged the younger woman back tightly.

Wendy giggled. "We all wanted to wish you luck, duh."

"Well you could have done that without knocking her on her ass," Laxus grumbled.

"Yeah yeah," Gajeel mumbled back as he got close enough to put his hand on Lucy's head. "You need to calm your dragon down, man. Stay strong out there, Bunny."

"I will," she nodded with a smile. She wasn't even embarrassed that they could all smell her arousal- she knew they could, but she was more on the aggravated side. Once again, shit came in her way. Once a-fucking-gain. God, if anything else came between she and Laxus later, she might actually maul someone.

Natsu, sensing her mood, laughed _very_ loudly. "I don't think it's Laxus we gotta worry about, Lug Nut."

"I may maul someone's eyes out, yes," Lucy unashamedly deadpanned.

Erza laughed along Wendy and Gajeel. But, their joy was cut short when the match between Blue Pegasus and Quatro Cerberus was called and began. The two women fighting looked carefully at one another and nodded, preparing to head out. But one last person spoke.

"Bright Eyes."

The two turned, shocked, to see Cobra standing back away from the group leaning against the wall. There was something in his eye that Lucy couldn't see from this far back, but she assumed it was concern. Or pride. The last one, though, made no sense, so she discarded the thought. The silence between the group present droned on, only the sounds of the wild cheers filtering past the stone walls for perhaps a moment too long.

"Give em hell. Let them know just how much of a cockroach you are and trust your damned gut."

She smiled softly.

"Go wild," he finished.

That one hit home- and he knew it did.

She nodded. "I will."

Laxus reluctantly pulled away from his mate and headed back with the other slayers- though he did stop to take one final look back at her. And she met his eyes. Longing, tension, and concern lingered between the two, but nothing more was said. So, he left. And Lucy finally turned to Erza and nodded, heading to what they had dubbed the _waiting room_. Inside, Orga and Yukino were seen immediately. Behind them were Kagura and Millianna, and to their left were Lyon and Jura.

Lucy looked between Lyon and Jura.

They seemed to understand that she somehow knew that they would be fighting.

This caused an excited smirk to lift the corners of Jura's mouth, and a cocky smile to lift Lyon's.

But she was going to go wild.

They had no clue what was in store.

In this room, they were only able to watch a lacrivision of what was happening in the arena. It was Lucy's shock that Bacchus and Jager pulled a win over Ichiya and Hibiki. That surprised her, but it worked in her favor. Come the final day, she wouldn't have to worry much about three guilds- Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus all were too far behind to properly catch up even if one of them took out everyone else. Glancing over to Orga and Yukino, she realized they would be her biggest competition.

Lamia Scale weren't to be dismissed either. Lucy then realized that there was a reason Sabertooth and Lamia Scale were the number one and two guilds (respectively) while Fairy Tail was missing. This was that very reason. Her brain started running a mile a minute, watching as Orga, Yukino, Kagura and Millianna all left out for the stadium. Her eyes watched their matches, noticing how _vicious_ Kagura was being. The Mermaid was damn near doing all of the work, but she was no match for Orga.

Yukino was able to take Millianna out with little issue, leaving only Kagura left. And they were able to easily out number and overpower the Mermaid from there.

A bad taste was left in Lucy's mouth.

Kagura was going to be a problem, come the last day.

The next full minute was a blur for the blonde. She and Erza were the first ones told to leave for the stadium, the first ones to walk out and wait for the other two they knew were coming. While waiting for the Lamia mages, her eyes wildly scanned the crowd. She saw her guild and Sabertooth both screaming for her and Titania, she saw several fans and spectators getting excited at the premise of the match, and more than that she noticed the way the other four guilds were watching with critical eyes.

Then, she saw the slayers watching from the top of the stadium, along the walls.

And suddenly, Jura and Lyon were coming out.

"This match is scheduled for two falls! The first team to wipe out the other within the allotted time will reign victorious!" Mato called out. "On one side, we have Lamia Scale! The Wizard Saint Iron Rock Jura and his partner, Reitei Lyon!" The crowd went _wild_ for the duo. "On the other, we have Fairy Tail! Titania, Queen of the Fairies, Erza! And her partner…" Lucy lifted her chin, showing pride and honor to be announced. Though what fell from his lips was something she didn't expect to hear. "The Celestial Princess herself, the Comet Wielder, Lucy!"

The crowd was _deafening_.

Yet through the wall of sound, she could hear Laxus' voice deep in her soul.

" _That's my girl!_ "

Another wave of pride swept through her.

"Let's get the final match of the day under way!"

The projection of the former king dressed as the mascot vanished, and all four mages crouched to ready themselves.

The gong sounded and they were off.

Lucy's 'requip' to Virgo's star dress was faster than Erza's requip to her Ice Queen Armor. They didn't even have to speak to know who would target who.

Jura threw up three rock walls at the same time Lyon threw an Ice Make Tiger their way. Lucy's brain immediately started ticking with strategies, concepts and ideas. Luckily, she and Erza had worked together for so long that the red head didn't have to verbally be told what was on the blonde's mind. All it took was a look. Lyon was on offense, so Erza's job was to push him back to defense or out class him- whichever came first. Lucy, however, had to break through Jura's defense to get him on the offense.

She worked best when she was fighting against someone actively attacking her.

Breaking through the walls was _easy_ in this star dress. She barely touched the first one, running full speed at it, before it _crumbled away_ for her. A startled noise came from Jura and she focused on that. If she listened to the crowd, she'd get overwhelmed too soon. The earth mage wasn't expecting her speed, nor how easily she tore through his walls as though they were made of butter. He jumped back enough to quickly cast his Iron Rock Fist.

But Lucy was faster.

She changed her star dress faster than the human eye could keep up with after tearing through the third wall, and with Taurus' power boost, she punched through the rock fist that flew her way with ease and an _astonishing_ amount of power. Jura's eyes sparkled in excitement and he cast a third spell.

He was playing with her.

Lucy's lip curled into a snarl.

She changed, _again_ , into Leo's star dress. Her feet were barely on the ground when his palms met. A small sweat broke out on her forehead and she jumped as though her life depended on it- which it did. The ground began to rumble and Lucy's eyes and hands both began glowing gold. Without verbal communication, Gemini was summoned as Happy and carried her even higher into the air.

"Rumbling Mount Fuji!" Jura shouted.

"Regulus Golden Blast!" Lucy shouted.

Blue power _erupted_ from the ground below in a _massive_ show of blue magic power heading up and directly towards her. From her hands, an _equally massive_ beam of golden magic power came down at it. The two forces met in the middle, hitting one another and negating each other with a _forceful_ shockwave that created an nuclear _boom_ and blew a vicious winds outwards that blew everyone's hair back and sent lighter objects flying.

"Holy _shit_ ," Gildarts whispered with wide eyes.

Jellal, having joined the Fairy Tail booth with all but Cobra, nodded his agreement. "Jura is no push over."

"Her power _negated his_ ," Freed stressed.

Lucy landed on her feet in front of Lyon instead of Jura, Gemini disappeared, and her star dress changed once again- this time to Aquarius' dress. Erza jumped from behind her, requipping to her Heaven's Wheel armor and heading straight for the Wizard Saint. Lyon cursed and sent a flock of ice birds at Lucy, equipping himself silently with two ice-made swords. Lucy didn't even blink as her hands glowed gold. With a wave of one of her hands, the birds were deconstructed to water- a little trick she'd learned from Juvia.

Erza was able to cut through Jura's Rock Avalanche with a bit of a struggle. While they needed to keep the others on their toes, Erza's magic wasn't quite on par with Jura's. The very nature of Earth Magic was almost a weakness for the red head, as not all of her swords could withstand the density of his magic. On the other hand, Lucy was able to strip Lyon of his swords and turn them to water.

Jura put his palms together once more.

Lucy clasped hers together.

"Break the Earth with clashing waves-" began Lucy.

"Solidify the Earth I stand on-" began Jura.

"Pull the waters beyond the seas-"

"Arm yourself with the armor of Rock-"

"And force the seas to become a monsoon!"

"And strengthen the very defenses of nature!"

Blue and green waves of magic pulsed off of the Lamia Mage as he stepped towards Erza, who had requipped to her Adamantine Armor. Across the field, gold waves of magic pulsed from Lucy as Lyon cast an ice made shield to protect himself. Both efforts, though, would be in vain.

"AQUA METRIA!" the blonde shouted, pulling water from the skies and causing the earth around her to melt and move as though it were made of water as well. The blast hit Lyon so hard it destroyed his shield, hit him hard enough to cut him open in several places, and pushed him so far back, so fast, that his body created a fissure in the wall of the arena.

"RISE! EARTHEN KING!" Jura put his hand out, palm towards Erza. The ground around him rose to create the very visage he called when he used his defensive Rock Mountain that charged at the redhead. It hit her armor and her shield hard enough to dissentigate it, just as the Jupiter Canon did years before, and then it stomped. The stomp caused a pillar of slanted earth to rise beneath Titania, not only hitting her with his pure magic power but also tossing her back at such high speeds that she, too, slammed with a fissure-crack to the furthest wall of the arena.

These two things happened simultaneously.

Then, Mato shouted "Lyon Vastia and Erza Scarlet are out of the match!"

"HOLY SHIT!" Gray screamed as he jumped to his feet. "KICK ASS, LUCY!"

"ATTA GIRL!" Cana yelled just as boisterously.

The whole damned stadium was _roaring_ , screaming at the intensity of the match thus far… Only they were barely ten minutes into the thirty minute time allotted. Lucy turned her head to look at Jura, who did the same. Jura knew what she didn't, though. That this was her moment to _prove_ she was worthy of being looked at for Sainthood. If anything, Jura himself would recommend her seventy times over after this. Not many were able to pose a challenge, and fewer could _negate_ one of his most powerful spells. In his eyes, she's rightfully earned her place amongst the strongest ten.

There was only one thought running through Makarov's head.

 _If she's like this now, what will happen after she and Laxus mate..?_

A sense of _danger_ flooded through every mage presence, sending the hairs on the backs of their necks standing up straight. Lucy's magic power was coming out, causing that golden glow around her that usually only came when she was meditating with round-generation. Only now, she wasn't meditating. She was using it to quickly replenish what magic she'd lost. A similar glow surrounded Jura, green in appearance. Her eyes narrowed sharply, realizing they were both doing the same thing.

She allowed the star dress to fade away before she took Cancer's, though it was strange that she was without the blades for once. Jura seemed to sense her intent and motioned for her to _bring it_ with a hand, beckoning her close.

Hand-to-hand combat didn't sound bad while they replenished.

It would come down to who filled their containers first.

Lucy sped towards him, shocking him once again with her sheer _speed_. Thanks to Laxus, Orga and Cancer's star dress, he literally couldn't even see her approaching. All he saw was the blue and black blur of the layered short kimono that was the star dress. His arms came up to guard his center, barely in time to block her lethal right hand. She tried for an uppercut that he was barely able to push away before it connected.

"You've improved a lot," the saint complimented as he pulled her into his fist.

"Thanks," she breathed out as she ducked just in time to dodge it.

No more words were spoken as their fists flew. Jura managed to land a few hits, just as Lucy managed to as well. It seemed the two were fairly even… But looks were deceiving. The two jumped away from one another at the same time, their glows both diminishing. Again, non-verbally she summoned Gemini, Aquarius (there was plenty of water to summon the spirit silently from her Aqua Metria attack earlier) and Chamaeleon and stepped into her Gemini star dress with ease. Gemini and Chamaeleon both shifted to mimic Juvia.

The danger everyone sensed only grew.

Something about her magic and how intense it currently was…

Something about the four female figures on field just _screamed_ danger.

And Jura's increasing magical powers didn't help that feeling _at all_.

"This is the deciding blow," Natsu mumbled from his position.

Gajeel nodded. "It's been a damned good match though."

"I'd pay to see her and Orga have at it," Laxus commented as he watched his girlfriend with slitted pupils. Her intensity was stirring the beast within, and the other six slayers around him were partially making sure he didn't just jump down there and carry Lucy off like a brute.

"They fight like neither of them could be hurt," Rogue commented, trying to ignore the way his instincts were telling him to _run_ from the danger.

The only one that didn't seem to be struggling not to _run_ was Laxus- who was struggling in a _different_ way.

"Their battles were always spectacular when she was training with us," Sting commented easily. "You should see if you can get her to go after Orga. You won't be disappointed."

Water began to gather around the two fake Juvias and gathering at the opening of Aquarius' jug. But her star dress hadn't yet changed. Jura, on the other side, began centering himself completely for his next attack. When the two sides had gathered enough power, Lucy's transformation with Gemini started to take form. And it made Gajeel, Cobra and Sting struggle to physically _hold Laxus back_.

A familiar lightning bolt shaped scar covered her right eye, her eyes glowing gold and her hair frizzing out slightly. She shouldn't have been able to copy him- she _shouldn't have been able to_ … But, his magic called out to her, so she answered the call. Perhaps this was a sign of what was to come. Her hands covered themselves in lightning without her intentions, but it seemed as though his magic was _vying_ to help her, to protect her and to fight for her. She didn't need to struggle to control his magic. His magic bent for her.

Jura stepped forward, thrusting his hand out to send rocks flying at her as he started to speak the enchantment for another spell. Lucy didn't have to control the lightning as it zapped out to stop the boulders from hitting her. In fact, it didn't even use her magic to do that. His magic was on a warpath to _protect_ , and she couldn't stop its intentions.

"Go, brat!" Aquarius shouted.

Lucy nodded and jumped high in the air right as three _scarily huge_ typhoons of water shot out and mingled to create one _dangerously huge_ spiraling jet speeding towards Jura. He shouted something she wasn't paying attention to right as she took a deep breath. She used the lightning to send her even _higher_ in the air before releasing a Lightning Dragon's Roar.

Earth, Water and Lightning hit and blasted outwards. Lucy and Jura were both pummelled in the debris left in the wake of the clashing of natural forces. Lucy was hit with a large rock and was sent flying towards the ground at high speeds, though nobody could see anything after she fell into the dust cloud sent up after the explosion. Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, waiting for the dust cloud to settle- and when it did, they were all startled to see Lucy _suplexing_ Jura and tossing him behind her in the process.

"She's not fucking done?!" Gajeel shouted, startled but still clinging tightly to Laxus' waist. He was the only one holding on, since he had the natural ability to ground himself and neutralize the lightning wildly coming from the slayer as he fought the restraints set up by Gajeel's iron.

Jura managed to get to his feet and grabbed her ankle as she went to kick him. He spun and tossed her away from him, but she landed on her feet with a twist, and took off to attack him again. They met in a flurry of punches and kicks, the fast pace of their physical attacks near impossible to keep up with. Those that had watched the S-Class trials, though, had an easier time keeping up with these two than they did trying to keep up with Freed and Lucy.

The saint jumped at her when she hit the ground from a powerful punch, holding his elbow out to drop on her stomach. Her eyes opened and she rolled away as fast as she could. She got to her feet then ran at him as he started to stand. She used her body like a spear, her head barely coming to his side instead of ramming into his gut, and she wrapped her arms around him and took his ass flat back on the ground. Sitting up on him, she reared back and punched him in the head twice before he was knocking her off of him. He grabbed her forearm and twisted it painfully behind her before punching her _back_ and flinging her away in the process.

Lucy cringed and clenched her teeth as she stood- though it was very wobbly. She didn't even try to regain full balance before running at Jura again. He grunted as he stood and this time took a _mean_ Lucy Kick to the back of the head. Jura wobbled and dropped to one knee, Lucy rushing around to stand in front of him.

Lucy's eyes started glowing gold again. "Never take a knee in battle, Jura."

Her fist was the only thing that changed- covered in Taurus' glove. She didn't have the magic for a full star dress, but she could manage his glove. Her fist flew for his head.

A loud buzzer sounded.

She stopped, centimeters from his nose.

"THIRTY MINUTES ARE UP! WE HAVE A TIE!"

Everyone around them screamed in disbelief but cheered for the mages nonetheless, and it took roughly ten seconds for the two mages to fully understand what had happened. Once that realization sunk in, Lucy, too, fell to her knees. Her palms touched the earth as she hunched over, breathing heavily and finally letting out the scream of pain she'd contained the entire match.

Jura fell back onto his back, his eyes looking to the blue sky above, panting just as hard as the blonde next to him was. Slowly, he turned his head to look at the woman.

"You would have beaten me. I couldn't stand after that kick."

Lucy felt tears start falling down her face. She would have beaten Jura?

Her head hit the ground and her fingers clawed at the ground.

 _She would have beaten Jura!_

Pride, happiness and excitement were so overpowering in her body, she could only cry and laugh. She had proven, to an entire stadium full of people, that a holder mage could _defeat_ a wizard saint. It wasn't lost on anyone there that had the match been even thirty seconds longer, she would have won. Her shoulders shook and heaved with the tears falling.

She had proven herself.

She nearly beat Jura _fucking_ Neekis.

" _Let's Go Lucy!"_ _Clap, clap, clap clap clap!_

The chanting of the crowd finally reached her ears and the tears came harder from her eyes. She was relieved. She was astonished. She was excited. She was joyous… It was overwhelming. That breakdown moment of elation and tears when someone won something they'd worked so hard to do finally made sense. There was a _massive_ weight lifted from her shoulders that she didn't even know was there. There was a sense of freedom. A sense that she'd climbed to the top, she had everything she wanted to prove within arms reach.

A small, elated and pride filled prayer was sent to her spirits.

And a hand touched her back.

Lucy sluggishly sat up, a wide smile on her face as she looked up at Erza standing behind her. Both women had seen better days; scratches, bruises, cuts and temporary magical burns littered their skin. Their physical state didn't stop the excited smiles on their faces, though. Then a hand was in front of her eyes. Looking up, she saw Lyon offering to help her up with a smile on his face. Holding onto his shoulder on the other side was Jura, who beamed at her with pride and joy in his eyes.

She was seconds away from putting her hand in his when lightning struck.

Gajeel lost his hold on Laxus.

There, in front of all of Fiore, the lightning slayer lifted her up gently, and tightly held her close to him. His nose buried in her hair at the crown of her head, and his eyes shut as he held her close. The way she molded against him so easily, despite being beaten to hell and back, made his dragon whimper.

 _Protect, heal, save, mate!_

"I'm so proud of you," he said to her, loud enough for most everyone to hear.

The lass could only think of how Jason must be reacting, but she found that she just genuinely didn't care. Her arms, in pain and feeling twenty pounds heavier a piece, rose to wrap around his neck. He lifted his nose from her hair curiously and she took the opportunity to tug him down forcefully.

There, in front of hundreds of thousands of people, she kissed his stupid face.

"Laxus, get her back in the hotel with a bath," Erza called, interrupting their moment and thankfully giving them the out they needed. "She needs it."

He pulled back and nodded.

In another flash of lightning, they were gone.

Jura shook his head and chuckled. "Oh, Young Love."

The only thing that made Erza giggle harder than that statement was seeing Makarov in the stands, crying and jumping around in excitement.

* * *

 _ **Lemon warning: Skip the rest of the chapter if you do not want to read the smut.**_

* * *

Lucy could hardly keep her excitement tamped down as she almost raced through her bath. Virgo stood behind her, washing her hair gently as the blonde relaxed in the tub. It had been a long, stressful day with a little more magic usage than she would have otherwise desired… But she felt so accomplished. So ready for anything. And more than anything, she was _ready_ for the slayer in the other room. Virgo had put a soothing and healing oil into the water for her, and boy did it make all the nasty creaks and bruises feel like _nothing_. Still, she just barely had the mind to call Cancer after she was dressed to dry her hair for her… And put it in a bun so she didn't have issues later.

Then, she was on the hunt.

Laxus barely had time to register that she was out of the bathroom before she was on him. She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. He seemed startled, but once her lips met his, he dove in with just as much reckless abandon. This was their moment, the moment they'd wind up bound for life together. His hands stabilized her, resting yet grabbing at her hips. His grip tightened just a bit, very gently pulling her towards him. Her lips parted over his and she knew what he was doing. He was giving her enough room to stop now and turn away… But that was the last thing on her mind when his tongue reached hers. Not even thinking twice about it, she followed his urges.

Lucy wanted this so badly and she couldn't bring herself to care about anything else.

Laxus wasn't willing to let her go again, but if she needed to, he wouldn't stop her, even if it killed him to let her go.

He guided them backwards, slowly. His dragon was clamoring to be let out, to take over and drive his instinct but he forced it down again. He didn't want their moment to be ruined by his damned dragon, and he'd continue to keep it locked away until he couldn't any longer. He pulled back for a moment, meaning to ask her if she was truly ready for this and if she had any reservations, but she didn't want to stop their forward motion just yet. She jumped up, wrapping her thighs tightly around his waist, moaning at the feeling of his large hands holding her by the backs of her thighs. His tough, calloused hands sent shivers up her spine that had her threading her fingers through his hair.

He scooted her upwards a bit, so her head was above his. She looked down when he looked up to her, her hair falling like a golden veil, shielding them from the rest of the world. Her brown eyes burned a heated cocoa color, the light blush on her high cheeks suiting her slightly tanned skin. Her small hand fell from his hair to his chin, and that was the initiative he needed to kiss her again. Their lips met and he barely had the mind to pin her to the wall before he tripped over something trying to make his way to the bed.

The moment her back hit the wall, a _beautiful_ moan fell from her strawberry lips.

"Lucy," he breathed, pulling away for a moment. "Are you sure about this?"

"Let's go," she breathed out, dragging her lips down past his jaw to the hollow of his throat, "all the way. I'm ready for this, Laxus. I've never been more ready for anything in my life." Her mouth opened over his neck, dragging her teeth across the flesh there, teasing both him and his dragon as she mimicked what he would later do. "Does that sound okay with you?~" she teased.

He couldn't stop the groan that sounded from him. His hands slid up from her thighs, grabbing her ass roughly enough to cause another moan to escape her. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Hmm," she hummed, pulling back to cast a heavy lidded gaze his way. "I don't think _you_ know what _you're_ getting into."

He smirked wildly at that and carried her over to his hotel bed. "Well well, Lucy, we'll see how this turns out," he said as he laid her on her back, "and see if you can remember your name by the end of the night."

She smiled widely at that, but paused a moment. "Uh… We may need to keep it slow until I get used to it..."

He shook his head with a laugh, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. The soft, caring, gentle smile on his face had butterflies going absolutely mad in her gut. "I was going to anyway. I'm a big man, in many ways, and the last thing I want is to hurt you your first time."

Her heart skipped a beat.

"Okay."

He captured her lips once more, only now Lucy became hyper aware of his being in a way she never had with anyone else before. She was drawn to him, like a moth to a flame, but it was more than just that. The ache she felt was soul-deep, something burning to rise to the surface. What it was, she didn't know. All she knew was that he was the epitome of testosterone and manhood, and she craved _him_. His hands slid her shirt up, sliding beneath the pink fabric. Internally, she cursed ever clothing herself after the bath.

When his bare skin touched hers, it was as though everything fell in place. This, being here with him, was the answer to _everything_. His touch was so gentle and borderline tickling, barely grazing over her flushed flesh, but it was enough. It was enough for both of them to feel a major sense of deja vu… But not in a bad way. Instead, it was like Lucy _knew_ what his next move would be just as Laxus _knew_ what made her cry out the most. His hands slid further upwards, and it felt like the ghost of a touch he'd given get before, though that was impossible. When he made it to her bra line, only his thumbs slipped under it, adding just enough pressure to the highly sensitive underside of her breasts.

A shiver raced up her spine and she reached for his arms with a keening whine, arching her back just a bit as her mouth tore away from his. He smirked and kept sliding the shirt upwards, hooking it just over her breasts. Those slow moving hands trailed back down, grazing her ribs in the same slow and soft touch. This made her realize just how _large_ his hands were and just how small she was in comparison to him. Hell, his thumbs were nearly meeting just beneath her bra whereas his middle fingers were on her _sides_. She couldn't tell if he was teasing her or taking his time, but _boy_ , this was pathetic. A few touches from him and she could _feel_ how wet she was.

She barely noticed the way his pupil slitted, or the internal struggle hiding in those storm blue eyes.

His skillful fingers worked their magic, slowly sliding beneath her heated flesh until he found the clasp of her bra. He tugged on it, freeing her breasts with one motion. He slid her shirt up and off and then slid her arms out of her bra. Her breasts were bare to his eyes and he hurried to latch on to one of her nipples. She moaned, her hands gripping at his hair and tugging at it in an effort to bring him even closer - if that was possible. Her legs were tightly wrapped around his waist, as she dry humped him through what remained of their clothes. More friction, more sensations. And it was not enough. He began thrusting his hips back against her movement and, then, he was the one groaning against her breast.

Lucy, though eyes shut during the moment, traced her hands up his arms then down his back. She couldn't quite reach the bottom hem of his shirt but that didn't matter. No, all she had to do was claw and clutch at the tight, black fabric and start pulling it upwards. He got the message and, with a disappointed groan, peeled away from her chest to yank it off. Her eyes opened when the cool air touched her damp nipple. He couldn't help notice the burning look hidden in their dark depths, molten gold flakes shining against the deep coloration.

Appreciatively, her hands slid down his thick chest and over each dip and groove of his muscles. Then they trailed down his arms once again, her thumbs finally grazing the divots of the muscles there. Something about her touch there at his wrists, specifically, lit his soul ablaze. He'd been in this position with a small handful of other women and yet none of them had this effect. There was just something there, something that only _Lucy_ held, and he couldn't place it. He could only chalk it up to her being his mate.

The dragon _roared_ , and he had to reign it back yet again.

She sat up startlingly fast, her hips grinding yet again against him. When her mouth met the tattoo on his chest, his hips jerked back against hers. What scared him, though, was that he could feel his magic rising to the surface in response. While it didn't feel like his magic was revolting and trying to get a threat away from him, it still made him far too wary. She wasn't Jura. Jura could take many electrical shocks with little damage, as a side effect of his magic. Lucy didn't have that kind of protection. A small shock earlier was no problem, but with the force that his magic was rising, he wasn't sure if a larger one would hurt her or not.

So, he grabbed her wrists lightly and quickly pinned her down.

She bit her lower lip and looked up at him. Her golden tresses were sprawled out on their hotel bed, her cheeks flushed beautifully in arousal, her white teeth biting her slightly kiss swollen strawberry lips.

"A vision of beauty," he murmured as he descended on her neck once more.

A soft exhale left her. The shudder that raced up her spine when he sucked on her neck was felt through her bare chest against his. His fangs grazed her neck lightly, repaying what she'd teased earlier. This was testing her patience enough. Laxus' touch was _more_ than just physical. It stirred something else, something she couldn't quite place, deep within. His every touch was followed by the ghost of recognition, the ghost of ethereal passion, and it sparked and shocked her very core. This wasn't a physical connection anymore. Whatever it was, it was deeper, more meaningful, and it borderline scared her.

That fear was drowned out by arousal.

Done with this slow pace, Lucy tightened her thighs around his hips and bucked up hard enough to startle him. With him now distracted, she put her hands down on the bed and used her legs to drag him down to the side. That same momentum let her flip him on his back and straddle his waist. A smirk took over her features at the pure shock on his own. She grinded against his hard cock through their clothes, revelling in the power surge she felt when his eyes rolled back and shut in ecstacy. Seeing such a powerful man under her, reacting to her touch, made her feel on top of the world.

A sinful idea took her and she leaned down before placing open-mouthed kisses down his neck and over his pectorals. His abs quivered when her mouth grazed over them, trailing even further down his body. Her hands busied themselves with his jeans, getting them unbuttoned and unzipped for when she made her way further down. She let her tongue trace a damp path along his hip while she pulled his jeans and boxers down to his hips, her eyes up at his the whole way.

Another surge of power hit her, though this was coupled with her magic rising to the surface. It was strange and unusual, since as a holder mage she only felt this way reciting the first lines of her Urano Metria spell or when in a star dress. She tamped it down, but refused to stray from her destination. Her chin grazed over his cock and her eyes widened before finally looking down at what she was dealing with.

A swell of pride rose in Laxus's chest when she looked down at his cock with what looked akin to a lustful mix of shock and awe. Or, rather, that's what he preferred to think of it as. He wasn't lying when he said he was a big man, and Lucy only just realized his truth behind that statement. It wasn't scary big, thankfully enough, but it was- in her experience from books and the magazines Cana had- well over what was assumed to be average. Girthy, though with how thick his _fingers_ were it was to be expected, and long.

And enough to make her gut clench as anticipation flooded her loins.

She licked her lips and it twitched.

"Lucy, I don't think-"

He was cut off by her tongue tracing up his length, a pleasured groan leaving him in place of words. She smirked again, feeling floaty from how he melted beneath her touch. She flicked her tongue against the head, mentally cheering at the twitch his hips gave in response. Her mouth closed over the head and decided that there was, in fact, a downside to her decision. If she stayed too long like this, her jaw was going to be in severe pain.

He panted airily, sitting up on his elbows as she slowly worked as much of his dick in her mouth as she possibly could. Those brown eyes flecked with burning gold embers locked onto his own and he couldn't stop the growl that sounded from his chest at the mere sight of her pouty lips wrapped around him. No matter how far she made it, which was only about half to two thirds of the way down before cringing and pulling back, he'd have the image permanently imprinted on his memory. Not that he was aware of it, but Lucy's eyes stayed on him mostly because of the way they were actually glowing.

Those stormy irises were casting a strong, yet somehow still soft, glow onto the rest of his face. The pale light they gave off contrasted beautifully against his lightly tanned skin, highlighting just the right places to make him look _striking_. She felt her magic itching to reach the surface. High cheekbones, strong jaw, strong collarbones, thick yet groomed brows… He looked every bit like a god in that moment.

She whimpered around his member, rubbing her thighs together in hopes to relieve some pressure. It sent vibrations enough up his cock, causing his teeth to clench as he inhaled sharply.

"Lucy, c'mere," he commanded, his voice low and rumbling from the internal struggle against his dragon.

Hit with a wave of defiance, she moaned a soft 'nuh-uh' through her full mouth and took more of him in. He hissed and finally sat up fully. Her brows furrowed, her eyes hard still in defiance. He wasn't about to let her take this much power from him. He was, at his core, an alpha. Being in such a position wasn't _un_ favorable, but being here too long made him antsy. Without warning, he grabbed her by her hips and pulled her up into his lap, his face startlingly close to hers as he looked down at her. She clenched her thighs as much as she could from where she was straddling him, causing the soft material of her leggings to rub against his naked cock.

Once again, she cursed having ever put on clothing.

His large hands grabbed her ass, the soft flesh covered by cotton, though he couldn't grab all of it. The action still lead to her grinding again against him and he had to slide his hands up her sides to stop himself from tearing her leggings off of her. One thing Laxus appreciated about her figure was just how wide her hips were and how thick her ass was, coming to a pinch at her waist gorgeously from her early years of being in a corset.

This was the moment he took to regain himself, restrain his magic and control his senses. It almost scared him to continue with how little restraint he had in the moment. Still, the dragon refused to let him back out now. It roared and clawed and demanded he mate the woman beneath him. In a show of dominance, he stood with her in arms only to turn them back around and drop her back on the bed. His hands grabbed onto the elastic hemming of her leggings, his fingers tucking even beneath her blue panties beneath the black cotton, and yanked them forcefully down her legs.

She seemed momentarily concerned about their hopefully not-destroyed state, but the only thing that left her was a surprised yelp when Laxus lifted her up by pulling her legs up onto his shoulders as he sank onto his knees beside the bed. She took a shuddering breath to protest about him yanking her around like a rag doll, but the words never met her tongue. Instead, a throaty moan left her when his sinful tongue dragged up her soaked nether lips.

"Gods, you taste like heaven," he mumbled before diving back in to suck lightly on her clit.

Lucy's back arched at the sensation, not realizing the weight behind his words. His eyes stayed on her figure, feeling a stirring in his soul at how naturally reactive she was to his touch. Instinctual, primal and driven by ecstasy. His breath caught in his throat when she looked down at him, the burning gold flecks shining and casting a faint light. Her magic was rising and he could sense it. It pleased some deep, primal level of his soul and his appreciative growl left his chest.

Her eyes shut when another loud moan left her and he had to force himself to _not_ think about it. Thinking meant losing control. His tongue flicked over her bundle of nerves several times over, loving the way it made her thighs shake on his shoulders.

He lifted a finger to insert in and groaned throatily and how tight she was. It was going to make this a little more difficult, which made him hesitant to truly take her… Still, he wouldn't leave her dissatisfied. Something in his gut flipped angrily at the thought of her being left like that. He listened carefully at the way she keened when he curled his finger upwards, pressing against her upper wall roughly, trying to ignore the protests his dragon had at that train of thought.

The way his finger curled made her toes cramp with how tightly they were also curled. Lucy felt the pressure in her lower gut build and build, rising to higher levels and creeping up on her peak. Then, she felt the tip of another of his fingers rub lightly over her entrance before slowly easing in. Her inner walls fluttered at the feeling of being stretched by his thick hands. Thinking she was in pain, he curled his fingers again and lapped attentively over her clit. Her thighs clenched around his head and her hips bucked, desperate to chase her climax.

Those magic fingers of his scissored inside of her and she couldn't help but put her feet flat on his back to raise upwards and change the angle he was fingering her at. Another strangled moan left, despite her vain attempts to keep herself silent.

"Oh God, Laxus," she moaned out.

His name fell from her lips and he _needed_ to hear it again.

He sucked harder and slowly put a third finger in her, stretching her further. He once again hooked his fingers inside of her. Then, he let just the _tiniest_ amount of lightning from both his tongue and his fingers.

"L-Laxus! I-I'm-"

 _Euphoria_.

Laxus pulled his mouth away from her quivering pussy. He was vaguely aware of the faded blue glow on her lower stomach, but paid more mind to how tightly she clenched around his fingers as her orgasm caused her to spasm wildly. Her hips rocked forcefully, riding it out as long as he'd allow her to. The way her eyes were clenched, the red blush on her cheeks… Her mouth was parted in a silent scream, her body arched off the bed in a way that pleased him on a base level… She was gorgeous when she fell apart.

He wanted to see it again.

He kept his fingers moving, sparking, not letting her calm or relax from the climax, and she climbed higher. Her hands clutched desperately at the blanket beneath her, whines and half-moans sounding through her clenched teeth as she continue to gyrate her hips to continue chasing yet another release near mindlessly. A particularly loud cry left from her mouth as it parted, the broken syllables of his name once again falling from her lips as she came apart for him again. Her hips jerked with every clench of her climax, her breath no more than panting at this point.

She opened her eyes, desperation deep within her barely glowing eyes. "Laxus, _please_."

He never expected Lucy to beg.

"I _need_ you _in me_."

Gods, that was all he needed to hear.

Looks like he wouldn't have to deal with blue balls.

"Alright, babe," he agreed huskily. First things first, though. He stood and reached over to his bag on the side table, grabbing his wallet to get the just-in-case condom out of it that'd honestly been in there for a couple of months now. With the package barely torn open, she had already wrapped her thighs around him again. His hands stopped their efforts once the condom was out of the package, since she lifted her wet pussy to rub over his throbbing cock. A deep groan left him again, and again, he had to restrain his magic and regain composure. It was getting increasingly more and more difficult to do that.

"Lucy, Princess, you gotta stop that if ya want more."

She pouted but stopped at that point. "But I like seeing you want me."

He let out a breathy laugh and gave a devastating smile that made her ache more for him. "You don't have to torture me to see that, you know."

She but her lip, watching like a hawk as he rolled the condom onto himself. "But that takes the fun out of it."

He raised a brow, looking up at her like a _predator_.

Gods, he could _ruin_ her underwear (if she was wearing any) with a _look_ alone.

Laxus grabbed onto her hips forcefully, reminding her of just how large his hands were and how small she was in comparison to him. He pulled her closer and rested the head of his cock just at her opening. The predatory look didn't diminish any, though it did grow a bit softer. "Tell me if you need me to slow down or stop, alright? One word and that's all it'll take."

Her heart skipped a beat and she nodded. "Just get in me already."

He laughed darkly. "Demanding, aren't we? Maybe I should remind you," he breathed as he let his cock slide up her slit and rub against her clit sensually, "that I can split you in two."

The way her back arched couldn't be attributed to the way he rubbed against her. No, the dark sensuality in his words sent delightful shivers through her. She whined again, growing desperate at a fast pace yet again. "Laxus, _please_ ," she breathed.

He smirked at how easily she caved, how easily she submitted in her aroused state, and mentally agreed that this was enough teasing. Just the tip, just when the tip was barely inside, he looked up at her in a concerned manner. Once again, she felt butterflies explode in her core. One second, the slayer was talking to her like she was _his submissive_ , yet the next he was watching her with true concern for her well being. He always seemed to tough and brutish on the outside, but this was yet another glimpse at his soft side. Knowing now, more than ever before, that the massive man was a true gentle giant only made her ache more. This ache was more of her entire being aching, rather than a physical ache.

She nodded for him to continue.

He slid inside slowly, stopping when he was somehow _fully seated_ inside her fluttering walls.

The stars _aligned_.

Lucy's eyes rolled back, her hands grabbing at his hair. There was a strange commingling of pain and pleasure, the pressure his cock provided seated so _deep_ inside that it alone had her back arching. She bit her lower lip and circled her hips as best as she could, trying to already get motion between them. A deep seated growl left him, and he pulled out slowly only to re-enter her just as slowly. Her ankles hooked together behind his back.

Her eyes opened to see him watching her reactions like a hawk. She felt her already flushed face warm even further. He licked his lips before attacking hers, his tongue demanding and forceful, testing her defiant nature by countering it with the promise of pleasure by remaining complacent. His hands at her hips sparked with lightning when she tried to fight against him, and it immediately caused her to _submit_. Her walls clenched so tightly around him that he almost couldn't even breathe.

His dragon clawed closer to the surface.

"Laxus, just _let loose_ already!"

Well, there went his last strings of control.

Lightning covered his person, crawling off of his person to attach to Lucy. Instead of being hurt by this, her back arched and she cried out loudly. His hips came back before he _slammed_ deep inside of her- and her walls were already clamping down on him as she came yet again. A wild, feral smirl lifted one corner of his mouth. Like a jackhammer, he pounded into her with the power and intensity of a dragon. Her sounds eventually died down to a hoarse, wheezy and airy sound of nothing but pure euphoria.

He felt her climax _again_ around him and he growled lowly. His muscles started to broaden, yellow scales covering small patches on his arms, chest, neck and legs. He was lost to the world, detached from everything that wasn't his mate. He hiked one of her legs up onto his shoulder and managed a deeper angle. Her eyes rolled back, her hips jerking at the sensation, and her magic finally escaped through her. In a golden haze, it surrounded the two and warmed Laxus' skin- almost as though it were trying to burn him, but couldn't. Wouldn't.

He knew his climax was approaching.

Their magics were mingling with one another, entering the other's body and filling them with even more sensations. His fangs elongated further and he attached his mouth to the nape of her neck, but hadn't yet bit her. Yet in that moment, so close to actually biting her and solidifying their mateship, he was suddenly _assaulted_ by senses.

A tight warmth in his gut that wasn't his. Euphoria, sensuality and pleasure filling every fiber of his being. And he realized that his thrusts were in time with the pulses of _fire_ burning away at the tightness in 'his' gut. He accepted this, embraced these sensations as they drove him closer and closer to his own release. Lucy's back arched just as the pleasure was unbearable, and he knew that it was what _she_ was feeling that overwhelmed him this way. Her climax forced his along, near simultaneous.

His fangs pierced the flesh of her neck, and both of their pleasure climbed even higher.

Their magics swirled, lifted and mingled until it felt like one unified magic. It then returned to them, Laxus' entering through a scratch she'd made on his back and Lucy's through the mating mark on her neck. His fangs retracted, his lightning gone, his muscles returning to their normal state, and he very reluctantly pulled out of her.

She whined at the sudden emptiness, but her voice wasn't there.

He kissed her temple lovingly, lifting her enough to get her positioned correctly on the bed. Then, he wrapped the blanket around both of them.

"L-Laxu-"

"Shhh," he cooed, a low purr leaving him as he nuzzled his nose against the patch of yellow scales on her neck. "Sleep. We can deal with things later." Little did either mage know what the future would hold, both for themselves and the others. Even less did they know just how much would change because of their coupling. Still, he was steady in his sentiment. That could all be dealt with later.

She didn't have the energy to argue, and within seconds fell asleep.


End file.
